Coliseum
by Yung Warrior
Summary: After winning the Genex Tournament, Chazz Princeton is invited to the 13th annual Kaibacorp Grand Championship! He, along with Jaden and Alexis, plan to sharpen their skills and prove that they belong with the best. The old veterans and the new wave convene in this international battle of monsters and magic!
1. Something I Won't Forget

**Chapter 1: Something I Won't Forget**

The new day was brimming with energy and promise as the yellow sun rose once more over the cerulean sea. The temperature was at comfortable warmth, and the waves were spotted with zealous early-morning surfers.

Even as regimes rose and fell, Duel Academy remained a tropical paradise. The island was isolated from the goings-on of the world at large. It truly was a private school for those young dreamers that would become duelists.

Naturally, such a perfect thing could not remain so for long. Less than a month ago, the safety of not only the academy, but the entire planet was threatened by the Light of Ruin. The Light was a malevolent cosmic horror that desired nothing less than the destruction of all life in the universe. After possessing the mind of Sartorius, the Light systematically recruited the strongest duelists of the academy and nearly succeeded in destroying the planet. It was only through the utmost efforts of a certain few students that the malignant entity was defeated. Even then, it was only driven back, not truly destroyed.

After such calamity, final exams didn't seem like such a huge deal.

Chazz Princeton had just finished his final semester exam, and he was glad to leave the accursed classroom. It would be nearly three months before he would have to sit through more menial academic work. In the meantime, he would do…something.

He ran his pale hands through his black hair and sighed. Despite mostly living on a sunny island, his skin remained pasty white and his hair a dark charcoal. He really couldn't get a tan to save his life. As usual, he was alone on his walk from class.

His black trenchcoat ruffled as he walked, a way of rebelling against the school uniforms. When he returned from North Academy, they tried to make him wear a Slifer Red coat, but he would rather apologize to his scumbag brothers than wear such a hideous crimson.

It had been a few weeks since Chazz had been freed from the Society of Light's control by his rival and friend, Jaden Yuki. While he usually didn't see eye-to-eye with the blithe Slifer, he would always be grateful to him for returning his free will.

From there, Chazz had swiftly defeated the rest of the freakish cult by himself, turning his anger and indignation upon them. Incidentally, he won the Genex Tournament as a result, although no one really cared about the competition at that point.

Truth be told, Chazz hadn't given it much thought either. The last few weeks had been so crazy, he had a hard time keeping it all straight. So when he entered his dorm room and saw a letter from Kaibacorp on his desk, he was bewildered.

He dropped his bookbag on his small bunk bed and tore open the envelope. He let out a deep breath before beginning to read.

 _Dear Mr. Chazz Princeton,_

 _Greetings and salutations, Mr. Princeton. I hope that your semester went well, and congratulations for winning the Genex Tournament! It is a prestigious honor to win it, and you should be very proud!_

 _As a reward for winning your school's competition, you have been personally invited, along with two other students from your school of your own selection, to compete in the 11_ _th_ _annual KC Grand Championship! This will place the three of you among the top 64 duelists in the nation!_

 _We sincerely hope you take up this opportunity. The grand prize for winning the tournament is an enormous cash prize of one million yen, as well as the chance to design your very own Duel Monsters card!_

 _Players will be treated to two nights at the Imperial Hotel on the evenings of June 11_ _th_ _and June 12_ _th_ _. The tournament will begin at 10:00 AM sharp the next day at the Silver Dragon's Coliseum in Domino City._

 _We hope to see you at the tournament!_

\- _Kaiba Corp_

Chazz smirked. He always enjoyed having his talents recognized. Having someone like Seto Kaiba send out an invitation like this was truly a great honor. "Now I can show the whole world just how strong I am!" He said to himself.

In his excitement, he read the letter again. "Two other students from my school, huh…I wonder who I should bring with. I shouldn't bring anyone I can't beat. That leaves everyone, though…I wonder if Alexis would like to go?"

Chazz held a not-so-secret attraction towards his beautiful blonde classmate. Unfortunately for him, however, she seemed to view his affections as comical, and generally was dismissive and cold towards him.

"I guess it can't hurt to ask her…" He murmured. Inwardly, he knew it was a vain effort, but he was never one to give up. He picked up the letter and made his way towards the door.

He strode across the patio of the Slifer Red Dorm. Although the place amounted to little more than a dusty tool shed with beds, it had a certain homey charm to it that grew on him over time.

"Hiya, Chazz! What's up?" A happy voice chirped from across the balcony. The black-haired boy inwardly cringed before turning around.

Facing him with a wide grin was Jaden Yuki, accompanied by his best friends Syrus Truesdale and Tyranno Hasselberry. Jaden was one of the academy's premier duelists, although one wouldn't know that from his demeanor. He wore the red coat of the academy's lowest tier, the Slifer Reds. His ginger-brown mop of hair was casually windswept over his playful chocolate eyes.

"Jaden." Chazz acknowledged stiffly, nodding in his direction while ignoring Syrus and Hasselberry. He then turned to walk away not having much to say to his rival.

"What's that you have in your hand?" Syrus squeaked, curious. "What? It's nothing!" Chazz practically yelled in surprise.

"Want me to grab it from him, sarge?" Hasselberry requested, cracking his knuckles with a leer.

"Um, that's alright, man. If he wanted us to know what it was, he would've said something. Now come on, let's go to the beach for a bit." Jaden, ever relaxed, calmly defused the situation. "See you later, Chazz."

As they walked away, Chazz felt a pervading sense of guilt. He definitely owed Jaden after the way he saved Chazz from the Society, and yet he still treated the Slifer like a second-rate duelist. The opposite had been proven enough. Jaden probably would've won the Genex Tournament if not for Sartorius.

"Jaden, just a minute!" He called after his rival. Jaden turned around, a slightly annoyed look on his face now. "I'd like to talk to you, if that's alright."

Jaden shrugged. "Sure, man." He glanced towards Syrus and Hasselberry, and they stayed where they were while Jaden followed Chazz over to a limestone cliff by the sea.

The wind picked up slightly as the two boys walked. Chazz, making sure they were well out of earshot, turned to face Jaden. The Elemental Hero duelist was slightly surprised at how secretive the usually ostentatious Chazz was being.

"Here, read this. It was delivered to my dorm room this morning." Chazz said quickly, passing the letter to Jaden. Jaden did so, one eyebrow cocking as he folded it up and returned it to Chazz.

"Wow, awesome! You're gonna be able to duel with the best, and I'm gonna be stuck doing nothing over the summer! Ah well, try to send me some pictures." Jaden said nonchalantly.

Chazz was shocked at how unassuming Jaden was being. "Actually, I was thinking of bringing you with me. If you'd like, that is." He forced out, hardly believing he was really inviting Jaden on a trip with him.

Jaden was similarly disbelieving. "Wow, no kidding? I'd love to go! I can't believe you'd pick me though, I figured you'd want to go with someone else. Aw, I'm getting excited already!"

Chazz bristled. "Well, I owe you one for that business with the Society of Light. If it weren't for you, I'd still be Sartorius' lapdog. This is the least I could do."

Jaden clapped his friend on the back and looked again towards the ocean. "Hey, no problem! Now who else do you want to bring with? I bet Syrus or Hasselberry would love to come." He asked.

Chazz fought a shudder. The thought of spending extended periods of time with either of those two nearly made him retch. "I was thinking Alexis." He said cautiously. He wasn't sure of Jaden's feelings towards the Obelisk Queen; sometimes, it seemed the Slifer had no concept of romance.

"Ok, I'm down for that! Do you want to ask her right now?" Jaden said. "I would, but I don't know where she is." Chazz mumbled.

"Whatevs, she'll probably show up at the bonfire tonight." Jaden whistled, throwing his arms behind his head. "Bonfire?" Chazz repeated.

"Yeah man, you need to get in the loop! Atticus and I are holding it near the lake. He told me there's going to be plenty of "smoking babes", whatever that means. You should totally come! There might be some dueling, so bring your cards." Jaden laughed.

Chazz smirked, crossing his arms. "Heh, it's always about dueling with you…sure, I'll be there." _"Man, I've gotten soft…"_ He thought inwardly.

Later that day, Chazz was walking by the administrative wing of the school on his way to get some dinner. He usually ate alone, sometimes bringing a book with to alleviate boredom. Oftentimes he would try to read only to be pestered by a certain group of duel monster spirits.

Chazz had met the Ojama Brothers during his brief exodus to North Academy during his freshman year. After humiliating defeats at the hands of Jaden Yuki and Bastion Misawa, Chazz left Duel Academy to grow stronger. For nearly a month, he survived, living partially off of the land and partially off of his burning need for revenge. He could not recall another time in his life when his hatred had burned for so long and for so hot.

Meeting the Ojamas had probably helped him far more than he would care to admit. Three annoying, disgusting, and lewd creatures so weak as to be useless helped him in his darkest hour. The irony was never lost on him. Although they vexed him endlessly with their inane chatter, he harbored a small affection for the little gremlins.

"Soooo, when are you gonna ask that cute blondie to the tournament?" Ojama Yellow said in a sing-song tone.

"You know, back in my day, we asked girls to dances!" Ojama Green piped in.

"Our Chazz; such a romantic!" Ojama Black cackled.

"If you three mess up my chances with Alexis, I'll wring your little necks!" Chazz threatened, at the end of his rope. Grumbling, he went up to the cafeteria to grab an iced coffee for the road. Distracted by the Ojama's antics, he didn't notice bumping into someone.

Dr. Vellian Crowler stumbled backwards, taken by surprise. "Sorry, professor. I didn't watch where I was going." Chazz stammered, embarrassed.

"Quite alright, dear boy." Crowler huffed, smoothing out his frilly blue overcoat as he grabbed a bottled water. "So, have you received your message from Kaiba Corp about winning the Genex Tournament. Will you be attending the tournament on the 12th?"

Chazz nodded. "Yeah, I think I have a decent shot. Besides, it's a good way to make connections for when I go pro."

Crowler smiled genially. "I figured you would. Which students are you going to bring with you? Of course, you don't have to bring any if you don't want."

"I was thinking about bringing Jaden and Alexis." Chazz said slowly. Predictably, Crowler's expression soured when he heard Jaden's name. "Ugh, are you sure about bringing that Slifer slacker? There are so many other students in this academy, and you had to pick him?"

Chazz shrugged. "Why do you even care? Are you competing in the tournament as well?" He said cheekily.

Crowler huffed again. "For your information, I happen to have an academic conference on the 12th, so there! Now who's laughing?"

"Haha! I'd rather duel than be stuck in some boring office meeting all day. This does work out well though. It would be good if you could supply us with transportation to the coliseum and back, since you'll be in the city as well. I don't have a car, and I'm pretty sure Jaden and Alexis don't either." Chazz asked.

Crowler sighed theatrically. "Very well. I can take you there. In return, I want typed essays on what you learned from your matches!" At Chazz's incredulous reaction, Crowler added with a smile, "Just kidding. I swear, you teenagers have no senses of humor."

In a few hours, the sun dipped below the horizon, and the orange dusk was soon replaced by a deep blue night. Chazz made his way over to the Obelisk Blue dorm for the first time since his stint in the Society of Light.

The building was being repainted, the roofs and siding being returned to their original blue hue through the efforts of students. One of those students was Atticus Rhodes, Alexis' older brother. Although the two siblings were close, their personalities could not have been more different.

Atticus was a goofy man with a love for the ukulele and the ladies. His jokey exterior hid a deceptively keen mind for strategy and for the game of Duel Monsters. Alexis, however, was by far the better duelist. She was kind, but oftentimes aloof, and she had a wicked sharp sense of humor.

The party was by the lake, a campfire sending red sparks up as a signal to newcomers. Chazz uncomfortably made his way through the various throngs of students in attendance; this was definitely not his scene.

Around the campfire was Atticus. He was strumming a tune Chazz couldn't recognize on his ukulele for a group of smitten girls, who seemed to think he was quite the talented musician. Atticus finished his song, and the girls clapped appreciatively for him.

"Ladies, ladies, you're took kind! There's plenty more where that came from!" He winked, causing a few nearby Obelisk girls to swoon. Chazz awkwardly waved to get the popular boy's attention.

Atticus waved back. "Well well, if it isn't Casanova himself!" He smirked. Atticus, strangely, fancied himself Chazz's mentor on all things relating to love and romance. Chazz, as any desperate man would, took any advice that was offered to him. Atticus had no problem with Chazz's romantic feelings towards his sister Alexis; in fact, he actively encouraged them.

"I bet you're looking for my sister, huh?" The older boy asked perceptively. "I can't see any other reason why you'd be here."

"Right." Chazz said tersely.

"She's getting some food, I think. You should get some too, you look thin as a rail."

"It's been a stressful year."

"That it has. All the more reason to celebrate, right? Now go get em, tiger!" Atticus smiled before waving Chazz off.

The black-haired duelist scanned around for a few seconds, unfamiliar with the territory. Then, he saw a black grill, sizzling with hot dogs and burgers. Weaving his way through yet another crowd of people, Chazz took care to hold onto his letter from Kaiba Corp.

Eventually, he saw her. Dirty blonde hair, ratty jeans, and a sky blue sweatshirt. Sharp hazel eyes that gleamed with what could be amusement. She was taller than him, and it amazed him how she could be so regal and intimidating on the battlefield and so welcoming to everyone but him outside of it.

She was talking to Jaden about something inconsequential. As usual, the Hero duelist wore red, although he had discarded his uniform for a t-shirt and sweatpants.

Chazz gulped and took a moment to collect himself before walking up to them. " _Confidence! Remember, you're the Chazz!"_

 _"Yeah, boss! Be confident!"_ Ojama Yellow chimed in out of nowhere. "Shut up!" Chazz yelled. Instantly, he realized that he had just said that aloud.

Jaden and Alexis were stunned in silence for a moment. Alexis glared at him, while Jaden was visibly amused. Faintly, Chazz remembered that Jaden could see Duel Monster spirits as well, and that he had probably just witnessed the exchange between him and Ojama Yellow.

"Is something wrong, Chazz?" Alexis questioned coldly. _"Why do I always look like such an idiot in front of her?"_ Chazz thought hopelessly.

"Are you going to be OK, man? You look like you're about to be sick." Jaden asked in concern. "I feel fine! In fact, I'm more than fine! Here, check out this letter!

In one swift and unbroken motion, she grabbed the letter from his hand and unfolded it. Keenly, she read the message in ten seconds before returning the crumpled and slightly sweaty paper to its original recipient. She waited silently, expectant.

"I was wondering if you'd like to come with. You and Jaden would dueling in this tournament for the possibility of the same prizes as me. If you're interested, you won't have to pay for the hotel or anything, just the contest entry fee." He said in one continuous breath.

Alexis' eyes widened, considering the offer. Ever since she had been freed from the Society, she felt unsteady to the point of being uncomfortable with dueling. A competition like this in a low-risk environment might be what she needed to get back in the game.

Jaden was coming too; she relished any opportunity to get closer to him. He was so warm and kind, but she wondered if he ever noticed the way she would look at him an instant longer than what was perhaps appropriate, the way her eyes would drift towards his own. If being around Chazz was the price to pay for traveling with Jaden, it was a price she would gladly pay.

"Sure…just hope you don't end up facing me in the final round." She teased lightly with a demure smile. Chazz was so happy that his knees nearly wobbled. "Awesome! You won't regret this!"

"I'm sure." She replied drily. Yet even still, Chazz swore he saw a glint of joy in her eyes.

Later that evening, Chazz reported his success to Atticus, who got him a drink as a reward. Slowly, the arrogant duelist felt himself coming out of his shell, even making some conversation with the other people around the bonfire. He scarcely remembered leaving the party to go back to his empty dorm room. Two days later, it was already the end of term.

Chazz did not get very excited about the summertime normally; it meant spending a long amount of time on his own with only his cards to keep him company. But this time, things were different. A new goal was in front of him, and it was one far greater than mere power or the accumulation of wealth. By the end of the summer, he vowed, he would win Alexis' heart and surpass Jaden.

"What do you think, boss? You ready for this?" Ojama Black asked him as they departed the island via airplane.

Chazz felt a heady sense of excitement and determination swell in his chest. Today was a new day.

"You bet I am."

End Chapter 1

Featured Card: **Ojama Yellow (Level 2 Earth-Attribute Normal Beast. ATK 0/DEF 1000)**

 _"He's one of the Ojama Trio. It's said that he butts in by any means necessary. It's also said that when the three are together, something happens."_

 **A/N**

 **Hello all, and thanks for reading the first chapter of Coliseum!**

 **I've always enjoyed GX and its characters, and the idea for this story comes form an aspect of the story that was basically ignored; the consequences of the Genex Tournament. I hope you all don't mind my use of the dub names, they are simply what I am more familiar with.**

 **As for this story, I'm trying to craft a fun, character-driven story, similar in mood to the average Yugioh filler saga. Chazz will take the role of protagonist here; I've always loved his character arc and how's unique he is. In this story, his perspective on the events of the plot as well as his evolving relationships with the other characters will take a huge role. It's not that I don't like Jaden; he is an excellently written character and I plan to give him and Alexis some spotlight as well.**

 **I don't anticipate this story to be incredibly long, but we'll see. I'm excited to keep writing this and updates will hopefully be frequent. Please leave a review if you like!**


	2. The City

**Chapter Two: The City**

At three o'clock on June 11th, Chazz exited his small apartment in the inner boroughs of Domino City. It was a small two-room place with only the most Spartan accomodations; a far cry from the luxuries he used to enjoy as the heir to the Princeton fortune. He used to drink lavish lattes and freshly poached eggs for breakfast; nowadays it was ice water and a banana.

He never whined or complained about his situation, however. After all, it was his decision to cut his brothers off. They offered him a spot back in the Princeton family, but only if he begged; only if he chose to do and say what they wanted.

No, he would rather wake up every day in a small, hard bed than be what they wanted him to be. His pride and freedom were far more important than money could ever be. He tried to tell his brothers this, but they only responded with disgust. As his legal guardians, they were required to provide him with basic care, but they sure didn't waste a penny on his well-being if they didn't have to.

Grumbling, he threw on a dark pair of jeans and a black t-shirt before heading out the door. He kept his deck, duel disk, and toiletries in a brown leather satchel that many would call a "man-purse". It annoyed him ceaselessly.

He exited his apartment building and quickly walked towards a nicer part off the city. Crowler was picking him up at a local coffee shop; they would buy drinks for the half-hour trip across town to the hotel.

He arrived at the café and found an empty table outside. He set his bag down and took out a book, reading for a while as he waited for Crowler.

A few minutes later, a blue convertible parked near the mostly empty shop. "This is the place Crowler said we would meet…" A familiar voice wondered.

Chazz's head snapped up and he instantly swiveled to the sound of that angelic voice that haunted him so. In the car were the Rhodes siblings, with Atticus behind the wheel. The brown-haired man was wearing a red floral-printed shirt and his ukulele could be seen in the backseat. Alexis yawned as she got out of the car. She was wearing a soft white blouse with jeans, an outfit suitably casual that also served to accentuate her oceanic beauty.

"Chazz, good to see you. That shirt looks good on you, by the way." She casually complimented. His face reddened as he glanced down at his shirt, vowing to wear it whenever he could from now on.

"I might swing by to see your duels tomorrow, guys! It might be a bit of a drive, though. We live a few hours out." Atticus said.

"It's fine…" Chazz murmured, hoping that Alexis' brother would take his leave soon. Alexis grabbed a large purple bag from her car containing her clothes and dueling equipment.

"Oh, I'm sure it is. Anyways, I'll see you all later. Don't get in too much trouble, Lexy!" With that, the surfer donned a pair of black sunglasses and peeled out, blasting trap music out of his speakers as he went.

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Honestly, just because he's a massive flirt, he assumes everyone else is...he's been trying to get me a boyfriend for the longest time."

Chazz nodded noncommittally, not sure how to respond to that. "Shame that romance isn't quite so simple as dueling. They should teach classes on that instead." He finally said.

She laughed politely. "Indeed. Come on, let's go in and get some coffee."

He pulled nervously at his collar. "Uh, I forgot to bring any spare change…" _"I only have fifty dollars to spare, and I can't afford a drink…"_ He cringed inwardly.

Suddenly, Alexis felt extremely guilty. _"I forgot that he wasn't quite so rich anymore. Wow, that really sucks. I almost feel bad for him…"_ "Tell you what, I'll buy this time." She said, smiling again.

"Um, sure, sounds good." They entered the shop and made awkward small talk, each hoping that Jaden would arrive soon. Luckily, after about 20 minutes, the Hero duelist finally arrived.

Crowler had picked him up, that much was obvious. Strangely, the effeminate teacher drove a low rider with a hot purple paint job and spinning silver rims. It was certainly not what either of them would've suspected the headmaster drove.

The windows rolled down, revealing that Crowler had dressed in a sharp black three-piece suit for the teacher's conference. The man would've looked like a secret agent if not for his loud violet lipstick.

"Let's roll, kiddies. I hope you like listening to David Bowie, cause that's what you're going to get." Crowler said in what he imagined to be a tough, gravelly voice.

"Hey, what's up, you guys!" Jaden called out from the passenger seat. The cheerful Slifer was wearing a red Domino University sweatshirt with khaki pants. A backpack that undoubtedly stored his cards and duel disk was laid at his feet. Chazz saw that the Winged Kuriboh spirit hovering around Jaden's head, purring slightly at him.

Smirking, Chazz took a seat in the back of the car. The atmosphere of the trip was awkward. Crowler was not friends with the three students, even outside of an academic environment. Although they had cooperated in the past against the Shadow Riders and the Society, they had surprisingly little to talk about.

By the time they arrived to the tournament grounds to register, the sun was already beginning to set. The nearby skyscrapers casted long shadows over the bustling streets, and Crowler had a hard time finding a parking space.

The Sliver Dragon's Coliseum stood out from its surroundings immensely, a majestic temple that only the most elite warriors were ever allowed to enter. Unlike the dirty brick buildings around it, the arena was built from gleaming, futuristic metal and supported by old-world alabaster marble pillars.

On the sides of the coliseum were impressionistic murals of great duelists from the past. Yugi Moto, Joey Wheeler, Maximillion Pegasus, and many more were immortalized in the form of paintings. Above the entryway, of course, was a slate of Seto Kaiba surrounded by draconic statues. Since he built the stadium, his mural was naturally the largest and most central. It was clear that the CEO's ego was still as boundless as ever.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Jaden said in awe, and his compatriots were forced to agree with him; they had never seen anything quite like this before. After a moment of looking at the arena from the outside, Crowler spoke up once more.

"Alright, I'll need to leave soon or I'm going to be late to my conference. The Imperial Hotel is right down the street. If you need any help, just give me a ring." Crowler wrote his phone number down on an errant piece of paper and handed it to Alexis, who he deemed to be the most trustworthy of the three students.

"See you later, teach!" Jaden chuckled. "Wish us luck!" Alexis added. "Yes, yes, I'm sure you all will make a fine showing. Now hurry up and get out of my car!"

The three Duel Academy students tumbled out of Crowler's low rider and waved him goodbye before turning to face the coliseum. Each of them felt a thrill of intimidation; this certainly wasn't school anymore.

"Well, let's go in, shall we?" Chazz said facetiously.

"Yeah…" Alexis replied hesitantly, awed by the grandiosity of the whole thing. Jaden, as per usual, held an ecstatic expression. "This is so cool!"

With his unlikely friends at his side, Chazz walked through the grand entryway. The ceiling gradually lowered as they entered, giving each of the duelists a somewhat claustrophobic feeling. The tunnel gave the impression of ending one journey and beginning another one to all who would enter it.

At the end of the 100-meter hallway was a single wooden door, innocuous compared to the ornate architecture surrounding it. Jaden opened the door, and the next room came into view.

It was a comforting lounge area, with some couches, a television, and a vending machine to one side and a telephone on the other wall. A small, three-step stairway led to a wider atrium where the tournament's contestants could watch the matches while waiting for their own.

"Duelists of the 11th KC Grand Championship, please sign up over here! A friendly reminder than admissions will be closed at six o'clock!" A calm, feminine voice called from around a hallway.

The Duel Academy students turned the corner to find a few wooden tables set up with signup sheets. The sixty-four tournament players were lined up in single-file to register for the games.

Alexis glanced at her phone to see the time. "It's 4:45 right now, we only have an hour and fifteen minutes to sign up. We'd better get in line straight away."

"Right!" The boys echoed, and they took their places in line. The three of them waited behind a peculiar gentleman who was wearing what appeared to be a sleeping crocodile behind his back. Naturally, this unnerved Chazz and Alexis, but Jaden seemed to find it fascinating.

"Wow, is that a real-life crocodile? I've never seen one before!" He beamed. The man with the gator turned around, allowing the three kids to get a better look at his appearance.

His garb suggested that he was just as ready to go an a safari as he was to duel. He donned a dusty brown leather vest over a plain white shirt with light blue jeans and sensible hiking boots. His messy dark hair was partially obscured by a wide-brimmed cowboy's hat, but perhaps his strangest feature was that one of his eyes was obscured by fresh white bandages. Despite his rugged appearance, the man held an unmistakably kind expression.

"You like her, eh? Her name's Shirley, and she's quite friendly. Look, I think she likes you!" The man spoke in a slow, assured Australian accent that instantly put them at ease.

"Awesome. My name's Jaden by the way, Jaden Yuki! Are you dueling in the tournament as well?" The Slifer stuck out his hand, which the other man promptly took. "I am. My name's Jim Cook. I got a letter from Seto Kaiba inviting me to this little shindig, and I thought I'd give it a go. I'm from South Academy, in Australia." He explained with unassuming grace.

"We're from the Central Duel Academy, in the Southern Seas. I'm Chazz Princeton, by the way." The black-haired boys stood and took Jim's hand. The Southern Academy Duelist had rough, calloused palms and a firm grip.

"Alexis Rhodes." She introduced herself with characteristic poise. He grinned, appreciating her low-key beauty. "Charmed." He said. "I don't suppose you know if any other students will be competing. I heard there was a man from the East who traveled out here, but I know of no one else."

"We're the only ones from the Central school. If anyone else from the North or the West came, we didn't hear about it." She said smoothly.

"Very well, we'll found out sooner or later anyhow. Anyways, I'm sure the weather at the Central Academy is absolutely breathtaking. It would be wonderful to study there." Jim said, opening up the conversation a little more.

"What are you planning to go into?" Chazz asked appraisingly. "I was thinking either geology or paleontology. I love looking at rocks and fossils. Shirley thinks it's boring, she would rather sleep all day." He said, barking out a laugh that was shared by the three Duel Academy students. "And what of you lot?"

"I'll be going pro after I graduate." Chazz said immediately, perhaps overconfidently.

"I'd like to teach…maybe." Alexis answered, much more hesitant.

"Haha, I have no clue!" Jaden laughed boisterously.

"Well, that's alright too, lad!" Jim laughed, finding their energy infectious. Soon enough, the hour had gone away and it was time for Jim to register for the tournament. Chazz, Alexis, and Jaden took care to watch his movements to that they would know what to do when their turn came.

Jim gave the female receptionist a friendly wave before printing his full name on a piece of notebook paper with a pen. "Now sir, we'll need to see your deck to make sure it is in accordance with the recent banlists." The receptionist said calmly.

Every three months, Industrial Illusions updated a list of cards that were banned from any use in competitive play. The list was posted online, and it was enforced in all official tournaments and in the schools. The banlist was created because of protests from players that decried cards deemed to make the game unfair. Some cards, such as Yata-Garasu, Pot of Greed, and Chaos Emperor Dragon, were permanent fixtures on the list while other cards oscillated off and on as the game developed.

Jim deftly took out his deck from a pocket on his belt and laid all forty cards out on the table for the receptionist to view. It took the girl about three minutes to look through his cards before she cleared him.

"Best of luck, Mr. Cook." She smiled. "Thanks very much. Now then…" He turned around, waving to Jaden and his friends. "We might meet in the arena tomorrow. I'll wish you the best of luck, but I aim to win as well. I won't go easy." His expression suddenly hardened.

"Of course." Chazz nodded curtly. "Haha, me neither! See you later, man." Jaden grinned. Jim nodded at the three of them one last time before departing. Shirley made a strange growling/purring noise as he did so. The sun had grown low in the sky, and orange light cast long shadows through the atrium as the clock struck 5:45. Jaden, Chazz, and Alexis were the final three contestants to register.

The receptionist looked very tired, but still managed to put on an ingratiating smile for them. Chazz wordlessly gave her his cards as he signed his name on the paper. She gave him a slightly incredulous look when she saw he was running Ojamas, but otherwise said nothing.

With Alexis, she was much more friendly. "Wow, your cards are so cool! And I love what you did with your hair!" She gushed. Alexis blushed slightly; she rarely received such compliments at school from other girls. Most of them were too jealous of her popularity to do so.

Jaden gave the girl a friendly wink, causing her face to redden noticeably. Jaden, despite being utterly oblivious to the ways of romance, had a certain boyish charm that many women found appealing. The receptionist wished him good luck, and the three of them left shortly thereafter.

The city streets were the busiest they would be all day; it was rush hour. Cars were bumper to bumper, businessmen and women were hurrying to and fro, and food vendors were gregariously peddling their wares.

Jaden bought a hot dog from one such merchant, generously dolloping mustard and relish onto the meat while Alexis bought some water. Chazz standoffishly stood away; he was worried that his lack of disposable income would become an issue.

To his surprise, Alexis had bought a bottle of water for him as well. She was being strangely generous, and Chazz couldn't remember her being so nice to him in school. _"I guess we're not in school right now though…"_ He thought.

They walked two blocks to the hotel, glad that it was so close to the tournament grounds. They signed into their second-floor rooms and grabbed the keys to their doors. Kaiba Corp had treated them to a three-bedroom master suite on the top floor, much to their surprise. Chazz flushed when he learned he would be sharing the same suite as Alexis; she didn't seem to care. Naturally, Jaden paid the matter no mind.

They grabbed their luggage and searched for the elevators. They found one just as it was closing, but luckily for them, a courteous man held the doors open for them.

"Thanks!" Alexis spared him as they rushed inside. "No problem." The man said in a smooth, somewhat nasal voice. He was dressed sharply- his burgundy button-down shirt, khaki pants, and wiry glasses gave him the charisma of a young professional on holiday. He had spiky russet hair and cold, calculating grey eyes. Well muscled, he had a busy air about him, as though he was constantly running risk analysis.

"Hello. I take it you three are in the Grand Championship as well?" He asked imperiously. Jaden nodded and was about to speak when the man cut him off. "I am, of course. Great opportunity for networking, you know."

"Um, not really. That's great for you, I guess." Alexis said awkwardly.

"It really is. I hear there some students from other Duel Academies as well. I only hope some of them are skilled enough to get to the finals. It would be fascinating to learn how other schools duel." He said.

"Well, we're from the Central Duel Academy! I'm Jaden Yuki!" The brown-haired Hero duelist was becoming the social leader of the group; he was always better at making friends than Chazz was.

"Adrian Gecko." The boy gave a solid handshake as his glasses gleamed. "I hail from East Academy."

"Cool, we're from the Central branch. I'm Alexis Rhodes, by the way." The Obelisk Queen introduced herself coolly.

"Ah, very good. And you are?" The bespectacled boy turned to Chazz. Although he wore a warm smile, his demeanor was strangely unapproachable. Chazz found himself annoyed by him.

"Chazz Princeton." He said stiffly. Adrian's eyebrows shot upwards for a moment before returning to their original slant just as quickly. "I see. Well then, I do believe this is my floor. Good to meet you all." He picked up his suitcase and hurried out of the elevator, his cell phone in hand. Before the doors had closed completely, he was already making a call.

Chazz and Alexis stared after him. "I definitely get a weird vibe from that guy…I don't like him." Alexis judged immediately.

"Really? I thought he seemed cool." Jaden replied.

"Well, you also thought Kagemaru was cool, so clearly your standards are different than ours. He reacted strangely when he heard my name. He might have some business with the Princeton's that I don't know about. The Gecko family is rich and influential as well, albeit not as much as the Princeton's." Chazz snarled.

"That shouldn't affect you though, right? You cut ties with your brothers over a year ago." Alexis said as they reached their floor. Chazz's mind whirred as they walked down the hallway to their suite.

"He might not know about it. It's not as if that ever went public. It wasn't even a high-publicity matter in the first place. I was never involved in my brother's business." Chazz murmured. This matter was vexing to him. _"Maybe I'm overthinking it…"_

He decided to forget it for now. Adrian was most likely just here for the tournament, as they were. He was a somewhat alienating person, but Chazz could care less about his personality, as long as he wasn't a threat.

Swiping their ID cards, the three duelists entered their master suite. It was a beautiful room with a decent view of the city through its panoramic picture windows. The room was painted in soft earth tones, and had plenty of space in between the kitchen, television, and beds. There were two beds at one side of the wall, with a wall separating it from another bed. Alexis would sleep by herself while Chazz and Jaden would sleep in the same room.

"Ah, this is pretty nice! Can't complain, that's for sure." Alexis sighed as she laid down on her bed and breathed deeply. Jaden did the same, and they found that their mattresses were quite comfortable, even for a hotel.

Chazz tossed his bag on his bed and prepared to sit down when his stomach grumbled violently. Jaden and Alexis laughed, hers being soft and demure while his was exuberant.

"Aw, is someone hungry?" Alexis teased, pulling on Chazz's cheek. The black-haired boy blushed deeply at the physical contact, however innocuous it was. Luckily for him, she didn't seem to notice, or at least pretended not to.

Jaden chuckled before his own stomach chimed in as well, demanding nutrition. Chazz now joined in on the hilarity, and a perfect moment came and passed.

"I could go for some fried shrimp right now!" Jaden said in-between peals of laughter. "When aren't you up for fried shrimp, you big goof?" Alexis joked, punching him lightly on the arm.

They went down to the hotel restaurant, feeling like sophisticated adults as they drank water from wine cups and ate sushi on fine china plates. During the meal, they each talked to each other more than they ever had before, feeling like they were all on an equal playing field for the first time since they had begun going to school together.

They spoke about movies, food, dueling, and even danced around the topic of love. It was an invigorating discussion, and one that was over far too soon. They each decided on going to bed early in order to be well-rested for their matches tomorrow. Their minds would need to be as sharp as possible, their strategies as polished as could be if they were to make a name for themselves

The dawn of the KC 11th annual Grand Championship occurred shortly thereafter.

End Chapter Two

Featured Card: **Skyscraper 2- Hero City (Field Spell)**

 _Once per turn, during your Main Phase, if you control this card: You can target one "Elemental Hero" monster in your graveyard that was destroyed by battle; Special Summon that target._

 **A/N**

 **Greetings lovely readers!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed the second chapter of Coliseum. This chapter mostly served as characterization and relationship-building, and I hope you all liked that. We're here to enjoy the journey of the characters primarily.**

 **Speaking of characters, we saw some familiar faces this chapter in the form of Jim and Adrian. I always liked them, so I placed them here. Many will ask why Axel and Jesse did not show up. I like them well enough, and I tried to incorporate them when I began planning this fic, but in the end, I decided to excise them. I didn't want to juggle too many characters.**

 **That said, there will be characters from the original Yugioh series showing up, and some of them will have significant roles. If you have any guesses as to who they might be, leave a review! I love to hear your thoughts.**

 **Next chapter, the preliminary rounds will begin! Stay tuned for more!**


	3. Relics of the Past

**Chapter 3: Relics of the Past**

Jaden's alarm sounded at seven the following morning, blaring Sum 41's "Fatlip" from a subpar cell phone speaker. Chazz literally jumped out of bed and landed on the floor at the sudden noise.

Jaden, on the other hand, lazily sat up and took his time shutting off the alarm. After a lengthy yawn, he rubbed his eyes and said, "Well, today's the day!"

Chazz picked himself up, dusting off his crumpled black pajama pants. He preferred to sleep shirtless with a pair of flannel pants for warmth while Jaden wore an old t-shirt and boxers to bed.

"Ugh, what an ungodly hour to wake up at!" Chazz whined as he took a drink from his bedside water glass. "Seven is not early by any means, what are you talking about?" Jaden chuckled.

"Well, some of us need our beauty sleep, you know! Otherwise we'd end up like you!" Chazz stuck his tongue out at his rival, who wore an incredulous expression. "Yeah, right."

"I call dibs on the bathroom first." Chazz asserted, already grabbing his tolietries. "Whatever, man." Jaden responded, reading something on his phone.

Chazz strode towards the bathroom. There was only one in the suite, and it was situated near Alexis' bedroom. Chazz paid this fact no mind, still groggy from his interrupted slumber. Thus, he had no idea that Alexis was in the bathroom until he unceremoniously threw the door open.

She swiveled around immediately, shocked at the intrusion. Chazz's eyebrows shot upwards, disappearing into his floppy black bangs. She was in the middle of brushing her teeth, a smidge of toothpaste on the edge of her mouth. She was wearing an overlarge white t-shirt through which royal blue lingerie could easily be seen. The image was almost too much for poor Chazz's brain to handle, and it was all he could do to mumble out a quick 'sorry', turn about-face, and get the hell out of there.

Alexis was momentarily confused and somewhat angered, but she quickly laughed it off. It was just Chazz being an awkward dork like usual, right? That didn't explain the sudden rush of excitement she was now feeling.

She had to admit, it was nice to be treated like a woman for a change. While she usually despised the advances of various boys at school, she had a reputation to uphold there. She needed to be known as more than a pretty face if she was to become a successful duelist in the eyes of her peers, and that wouldn't happen if she pretended to be nice towards every schmuck that came her way.

She didn't have to be that way towards Chazz, though. He had seen her skills demonstrated firsthand. She had even beaten him once, although he wasn't using his regular deck. If there was one good thing about the Society of Light debacle, it was that she saw a different side to the rogue Ojama duelist. As the leader of the White Army, he treated her with respectful deference and dignity. She knew that Chazz was a complex individual, and that commanded a certain recognition. At times he could be mysterious, haughty, and even intimidating, but around her his nerves always seemed to get the best of him.

"I might help him get over those nerves of his…just so that he doesn't annoy me so much anymore." She mumbled to herself as she prepared to get in the shower. "Bah, what am I doing? I have a tournament to win and I'm thinking about Chazz of all people!" Banishing the burgeoning ideas from her mind, she returned to brushing her teeth.

Chazz was momentarily grateful for Jaden's flighty nature- he didn't have to explain what just happened. The brown-haired boy was listening to music, staring intently out of the window. Chazz briefly considered looking through his cards, but he already knew that his deck was immaculately arranged for the competition. With nothing else to distract him, his mind snapped back to that captivating image of Alexis.

Why did he always make such a fool of himself in front of her? Why did she prefer Jaden over him? Why did he care so much? He used to only care about being the strongest; everything else was a distraction. Before that, it was money and fame that occupied his thoughts. They were no longer so important to him, but why? What had taken their place?

There was no more time to fulminate, however- it was time for the games to begin. Without saying a word to each other, the trio left the hotel with their Academy-standard issue duel disks securely fastened.

The walk to the Silver Dragon's Coliseum was fraught with traffic. People from all walks of life had come to watch the tournament. The old dogs were here to view the young talent. Pro scouts were present with media teams, ready to sign the most impressive young duelists for pro careers. Children and their parents had come as well. Kaiba could afford to price the event cheaply- he had enough money to live ten lifetimes, and so he had no problems with finances.

After wading through chaotic crowds, the three duelists made their way through a side entrance where the players would wait until the preliminaries began. The atrium, compared to the sidewalk outside, was awkwardly quiet- none of the rival duelists felt like making small talk.

Catching Alexis' eye, Jim Cook made his way over to their group. "Lads." He tipped his hat to them as a form of greeting. "Pretty exciting stuff, eh?"

"Yeah, it is. I'm getting tired of waiting, though. Do you know when this show's going to get on the road?" Chazz huffed, crossing his arms in impatience.

"Right now!" A sonorous voice echoed from the atrium's entryway. The sixty-four gathered duelists turned and gave their undivided attention to this man who promised them the tournament.

With olive complexion, close-cropped salt and pepper hair, and practical sunglasses, Roland of Kaiba Corp looked every bit the businessman and representative of clan Kaiba. It could be trusted that every word that came out of his mouth was endorsed by Seto Kaiba himself.

"In an orderly fashion, I ask you all to make your way to the arena floor at once. The opening ceremonies will be in five minutes, and from there the preliminaries will begin." He said to them unctuously.

The duelists shuffled outside, each one careful not to make any contact with the others. They were greeted with thunderous applause by the full crowd as they each were introduced. They stood in a line in front of a group of security officers. The guards parted to reveal the man himself; Seto Kaiba.

Kaiba wore a crisp white suit with a light blue tie. His broad shoulders and long arms made him an intimidating figure, his piercing blue eyes staring into the souls of the sixty-four challengers. Everyone felt an acute chill when his gaze swept over them. Kaiba's dueling power was only ever rivaled by Yugi Motou, the King of Games. Since Yugi had dropped out of the public scene nearly ten years ago, Kaiba was considered to be the game's champion, and anyone who was ever brave enough to challenge him lost with humiliating swiftness.

Today, however, Seto Kaiba was donning the role of charming philanthropist. Despite his ruthless pursuit of corporate acquisitions, Kaiba had a notable soft spot for children, possibly stemming from his own humble upbringing as an orphan. He even allowed the duelists a free night pass to Kaiba Land, his personal amusement park, at no price.

"Greetings, challengers! Welcome to the 11th annual KC Grand Championship!" He called, and another round of applause began. "I welcome each of you duelists warmly. Each of you has received my personal invitation to this prestigious tournament, and I have no doubt that you all are some of the finest talent the region has to offer!" He smiled coldly.

"I'm sure you're tired of waiting, but I assure you, the tournament is beginning now. The preliminary round will take place in this stadium. Each of you will start at equidistant paces from each other, lining the arena wall. From there, you will all seek out an opponent to duel. You all will keeping battling until eight of you remain. Thusly, it may not be in your best interests to defeat your rivals quickly. The quarterfinals will begin once eight of you are left.

The duels will start at 4000 life points and five cards in hand. Anyone engaged in cheating or foul play will be disqualified immediately. Now, take your places along the edge of the ring!"

Chazz, Alexis, and Jaden glanced at each other, and they each knew not to engage themselves yet. Nodding, they went as far away from each other as possible.

Once the duelists took their places along the outer edge of the coliseum, a horn sounded which signaled them to begin. Jaden immediately leapt into the fray, eager for a challenge. Chazz did the same, but Alexis was more cautious, hanging back and waiting for a cocky opponent to come to her.

Jaden frantically looked around for an opponent. Several had already started matches, holograms of monsters beginning to spawn all around the field while the audience thrilled in wonder and excitement.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Jaden quickly turned around. Jim was there again, his smile present as usual.

"Jaden, I really would like to duel you. There's no guarantee either of us will make it to the quarterfinals. If you'd like to fight someone else, I understand, but I would love to be your opponent." Jim offered cordially.

Jaden beamed at him, a fire lighting up his brown eyes. "You bet! Let's do this, Jim!" They each activated their duel disks and shuffled their decks, eager to see the other's strength.

Alexis found a shaded area underneath the rafters, where she looked around for lone duelists to challenge. Cocking a thin eyebrow, she found a particularly interesting prospect.

Catching her eye, a man in his late twenties began walking towards Alexis. He wore a shady green overcoat that covered a diminutive, flimsy frame. His round spectacles covered shifty green eyes. This, combined with his odd teal bowlcut, gave him a distinctly bug-like appearance.

"You must be Mr. Weevil Underwood." Alexis greeted diplomatically with a small bow.

"Ah, good to see that young duelists know my name. Yes, it is I, the greatest Insect duelist the world has ever known, Weevil Underwood!" His voice was annoyingly high-pitched and cackling.

Alexis smirked. Weevil Underwood hadn't won a pro tournament in twelve years, despite his frequent competitive appearances. The pro analysts regarded him as washed-up, often agreeing that the man hadn't progressed as a player at all over the course of his career.

Alexis activated her duel disk. "I would be very honored if you'd duel me, Mr. Underwood. I'm but a humble student, and I'm sure I could learn a lot from observing your skills firsthand." She was laying it on a little thick at this point, but she was sure that appealing to his ego would lull him into a false sense of security.

As she expected, Weevil reveled in the praise. "Of course! Just don't feel bad when I kick you from this tournament, girlie!" He activated his own duel disk, and they drew their cards. Each was absolutely confident in their ability to win.

"I wanna take that Adrian Gecko punk out right now! If I can beat him here, I won't have to worry about him later." Chazz mumbled to himself as he hunted furiously for the russet-haired boy. Suddenly, he caught sight of him. "Yes! I'm coming after you!" Chazz yelled.

"Hey! I wanna duel you!" A random kid jumped in front of him. He couldn't have been any older than twelve, and he was embarrassingly enthusiastic to the point of being cocky.

"Ugh, whatever…" Chazz mumbled, reluctantly agreeing to duel the child. "Hopefully this doesn't take too long so that I can get at Adrian!" He snapped as he drew his cards.

"I'll begin, Jaden."

"Fine by me."

"Very good. I summon **Shell Knight (0/2000)** in defense mode!" Jim summoned his first monster. A vaguely humanoid creature in armor of seashells and fossils knelt on the field. "When this monster is summoned, you take 500 points of damage!" Jim said.

Shell Knight released a storm of rock shards at Jaden, who took the burn damage calmly. **(Jaden 3500/Jim 4000)** "Now, I'll end my turn." Jim said once more.

"I see you're going all out off the bat. That's fine, I will too! I draw!" Jaden glanced through is hand before making a decision. "I activate the field spell **Fusion Gate**!"

A purple spiral of energy swirled around Jaden. "As long as this is in play, we can each fuse monsters without the use of Polymerization. However, our monsters are banished when fused this way, instead of being sent to the graveyard." He explained. "Now, it's time for you to meet one of my best guys! I fuse **Elemental Hero Avian** with **Elemental Hero Burstinatrix**!"

On one side of Jaden appeared a green-clad hero with talons for hands and feet. On his other side shimmered an attractive female with long black hair and a skin-tight red jumpsuit. They jumped into the violet swirl of the Fusion Gate, and out came a completely different creature.

A muscular, green-skinned humanoid with demonic wings and a draconic hand flew into the air before descending in front of Jaden protectively. "Meet **Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (2100/1000)!** " Jaden called.

Jim smirked. "An impressive creature, one I've never seen before."

Jaden smiled back. "Yeah, he's one of my signature monsters! And now you'll see why! Flame Wingman, attack his Shell Knight!" As Jaden declared his attack, his hero wreathed itself in hot orange flames and rose into the air.

With a flaming tackle, the Flame Wingman destroyed the Shell Knight. "When Flame Wingman destroys a monster, you take damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack points." Jaden explained as his monster returned to his side of the field.

"Lucky for me that Shell Knight had no attack points, then." Jim wisecracked. Jaden smirked before setting a card face-down, leaving him with nothing in his hand. "That's it for my turn."

Jim drew, his countenance serious as he did so. "I set a monster in face-down defense position, then I activate the spell card **Specimen** **Inspection**. By discarding a card from my hand, I can choose a level and type of monster, and then you have to send a monster from your deck to the grave that fits the description. I think I pick a level 4 Warrior." The aussie explained.

"How did I know you were going to pick that?" Jaden rolled his eyes. He searched through his deck before nimbly picking a card. "I'll send Elemental Hero Wildheart to the graveyard." He declared, showing the card to Jim, who nodded in assent.

Jim extended his hand, deferring his turn to Jaden. The Slifer drew, and could not believe his luck. "Awesome! I drew **Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200)**! Since I have no other cards in my hand, I can special summon him and draw two more cards!"

In a storm of blue bubbles came a rather silly hero, a pudgy blue human with a bubble gun attached to its armored wrist. "Now, Flame Wingman, attack his monster!" Another torrent of fire was unleashed from the winged hero's maw, bathing Jim's monster in heat.

The monster revealed itself to be another dinosaur fossil. "Meet my **Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo (1200/1300)!"** When this monster is flipped up, all specially summoned monsters on the field are destroyed!"

"Oh no!" Jaden cursed as both Flame Wingman and his Bubbleman were sent to the graveyard. "At least Flame Wingman's effect still activates! You lose 1200 life points because he destroyed your fossil!"

Jim flinched slightly as he was hit with a blast of holographic conflagration. "A price I'd gladly pay." He grunted. **(Jaden 3500/Jim 2800)**

 _"Wow, pretty strong…he's already taken out four of my monsters without launching a single attack of his own! Still, I won't lose!"_ Jaden thought.

 _"He's full of surprises…I can't let him accumulate advantage!"_ Jim thought. Both duelists respected the skill of the other, and both knew that it was going to take everything they had to come out victorious.

Alexis and Weevil stared each other down. "Feel free to take the first turn, Mr. Underwood." Alexis graciously offered. "Of course." He said in smarmy tones.

"I will start by summoning **Pinch Hopper (1000/1200)** in attack mode!" A large, dog-sized grasshopper scuttled onto the field. "Then, I will activate the continuous spell **Verdant Sanctuary**! Now, whenever an Insect monster is destroyed, I can add another to my hand with the same level! Now, make your move!"

Green foliage had grown around the arena floor, blocking their duel off from the rest of the arena. With the Verdant Sanctuary in play, large lily leaves drooped over their heads and grass brushed against their ankles. The battlefield had become a lush jungle.

While Weevil talked, Alexis looked over her hand. _"His summoning of Pinch Hopper is such an obvious trap, I wonder if he isn't baiting me into triggering something else. He would have been better served setting the monster."_ She thought derisively.

"I'll end with that. Try to fight back, if you can!" Weevil snorted, pushing up his glasses along the bridge of his nose. He had already written the match off in his mind.

Alexis drew, and prepared her move with absolute confidence. "I summon **Blizzard Dragon (1800/1000)** in attack mode!" A large dragon with light blue scales and a cold aura materialized. The air around its body grew visible and the temperature of the once-balmy summer day noticeably dropped.

"An ice deck, eh? And what are you going to do with that?" Weevil mocked.

"You should be wary, Mr. Underwood. Most insects do not survive even mild winters, and unfortunately for you, this winter is going to be very harsh indeed. I attack your Pinch Hopper now." Alexis' voice, while formerly sweet, was now cold and businesslike. Blizzard Dragon unleashed a frosty breath at the locust, which shriveled up and died immediately. **(Alexis 4000/Weevil 3200)**

"All according to plan! When my Pinch Hopper is send to the graveyard, I can summon an insect monster directly from my deck! Now, meet my **Chainsaw Insect (2400/0)**!" Onto the field scuttled a fairly intimidating bug with sharp steel blades for mandibles.

"My Verdant Sanctuary allows me to add another insect to my hand as well! You're finished!" Weevil boasted.

"During my Main Phase 2, I'll use my Blizzard Dragon's effect. It can target one of your monsters and freeze it, preventing it from attacking or changing battle position until the end of your next turn." Alexis intoned. As she said this, her dragon breathed again, encasing the bug in a block of ice. "I'll set two face-down cards and end my turn."

Weevil was quizzical. The girl's stoic demeanor was irritating and somewhat unsettling to him. Alexis didn't really know why she was acting this way either. Was it a remnant of Sartorius' control of her mind? Or was it a transformation brought on by the fierce competition? It was hard to tell for certain.

Weevil drew. "Your monster has a powerful effect, but it cannot stand up to a swarm of insects! I summon **Insect Knight (1900/1500)** in attack mode!" A bipedal cricket wearing knight's armor took the field, its appearance grotesque and unnatural. Weevil used the effect of his Verdant Sanctuary to add another insect to his hand. At this point, he far surpassed Alexis in terms of card advantage. Still, she remained unruffled.

"Now, I can remove my Pinch Hopper in the grave from play to specially summon **Aztekipede, the Worm Warrior (1900/400)**." Weevil brought forth an enormous arthropod tunneling from the ground below. It had a tough green exoskeleton and threatening red eyes.

"Now, my swarm will attack!" Weevil thrust his hand forth and his bugs rushed. The Insect Knight slashed her Blizzard Dragon with its silver sword. **(Alexis 3900/Weevil 3200)**

Next, the Worm Warrior tackled Alexis, causing her to flinch in spite of the hologram's transient nature. "When Aztekipede causes you damage, you have to send the top card of your deck to the graveyard!"

For the first time, a look of surprise flit across Alexis' face. She pitched the top card of her deck, and saw that her White Night Dragon was the card sent. **(Alexis 2000/Weevil 3200)**

 _"Alright, maybe there was a reason he used to be Japan's champion…he's strong!"_ Alexis thought with an inward chuckle. _"Those insects can really fill up the field fast! I need to get it together or else I'll lose next turn!"_ She stared down the three monsters on Weevil's field with renewed determination.

"No…I lost!" The twelve-year old child roared to the heavens as his life point counter hit zero.

Chazz defeated the kid in a few turns. The boy ran a fairly complex strategy that allowed him to summon four powerful monsters in one turn, but all Chazz had to do was play Mirror Force and it was all over from there.

"Now where is that Adrian?" Chazz frantically scanned the area, hoping to find the rich East Academy protégé. He hustled about, trying and trying to find one person among many

"Hey, you! Let's duel!" A high-pitched voice called out from behind. Chazz pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed before turning around. Sure enough, it was another child, although this one appeared to be around ten years old instead of twelve.

"Oh god, not again…" Chazz grunted before activating his duel disk again. This was getting ridiculous.

"Jaden, you're clearly an expert on fusion. However, I bet even you haven't heard of what I'm about to do." Jim smirked as he drew his next card.

"I guess I'll never know unless you show me what you've got." Jaden said calmly.

"Fair point. This is a whole new type of fusion, involving the creation of monsters from the Paleozoic era! I activate the spell card **Fossil Fusion**! This type of fusion allows me to take monsters from either of our graveyards to create a fusion monster!

I will take my Shell Knight and your Elemental Hero Flame Wingman, and fuse them!" Jim called as a storm of old, dusty bones swirled around him. "What can he possibly make with that?" Jaden wondered incredulously.

"Now I summon **Fossil Warrior Skull Knight (2400/1100)!"** The seemingly random bones coalesced to form a humanoid shape, with stray stones melding together to form a sword, shield, and helmet. It was a warrior made of bones!

"Shoot, and I'm defenseless!" Jaden cursed. "Now my warrior will attack you directly!" Jim clenched his fist in victory as his warrior slashed at Jaden. **(Jaden 1100/Jim 2800)**

"Now, I'll set a monster in face-down defense position and end my turn." Jim finished. Jaden grimaced. "What's the matter, friend? I hope you've got a trick up your sleeve, for your sake." Jim added.

"Oh, you know I do. If I lost in the preliminaries while Chazz and Alexis moved on, they would never let me hear the end of it. I kinda have to win here." Jaden shrugged hopelessly.

"Really? And how do you plan to do that? You have one card in hand and one on the field. You aren't making any plays with that." Jim retorted.

"You don't know? The Hero always makes the comeback! Now, I activate the spell card **A Hero Lives**! By paying half my life points, I can summon any Elemental Hero of my choosing from my deck! And I think I have the perfect choice! Come out, **Elemental Hero Neos (2500/1000)!"**

A cloud of pure white stardust formed on the field, and from it emerged a warrior of alien origin. With grey skin, unnatural musculature, and a wrathful expression, it was certainly an intimidating creature that promised swift justice on its opponent.

"This is my ace monster, a hero that comes from the depths of outer space! Now, I'll equip my hero with the **Neos Force** spell! This gives my monster 800 extra attack points, and when it destroys a monster you lose life points equal to your destroyed monster's attack points!"

"I see…this is indeed a strong monster." Jim did not seem perturbed, despite the fact that he was about to lose.

"Neos, attack his Skull Knight!" Jaden called, and his spirit monster obeyed, gathering a sphere of fiery blue energy in its hand as it leapt into the air towards the defending Skull Knight.

"I activate **Mystical Space Typhoon** to destroy your Neos Force!" Jim desperately chained his face-down spell. The blue energy around Neos disappeared, and the warrior faltered comically before continuing its assault. With one mighty chop, The Fossil Skull Knight was broken down into archeological dust. **(Jaden 550/ Jim 2700)**

"I see, you destroyed my Neos Force so that you wouldn't take as much damage…smart stuff." Jaden complimented. "I'll end my turn, then."

"Very well…time to see what my deck is truly capable of!" Jim drew with guile. _"I still have my_ _ **Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000)**_ _in face-down defense position. That should defend my life points for a turn if this play doesn't work out…I'm betting everything on this!"_

"I activate the spell **Foolish Burial** to send one monster from my deck to my graveyard!" Searching through his remaining cards, Jim decided to send a Stone Statue of the Aztecs to the grave.

"Now, I remove from play my Skull Knight and my Stone Statue to summon one of my strongest monsters!" The ground itself shook as a titan formed from surrounding rocks and pebbles. By the time the monolithic creature had fully formed, it was easily four times as tall as Elemental Hero Neos.

" **Gaia Plate the Earth Giant! (2800/1200)** " Jim cried with pride. _"Shame I don't have any more rock monsters in my grave, or else I could use his effect…Oh well, I'm going to win right now!"_ "I flip summon my Giant Soldier of Stone!" To Jim's side appeared a smaller warrior made of sturdy gray concrete.

"Now, Gaia Plate, destroy his Neos!" "Close, but no cigar, Jim! I activate my final trap! **Negate Attack**! As the name implies, it ends your attack and your battle phase!" Jaden said. The Earth Giant's punch was halted abruptly, and Jaden saw his Neos sweat in relief.

Jim now seemed rather frustrated. "You have one more turn, Jaden. Better make it count."

"Oh, I intend to." Jaden took a deep breath before drawing his last card. He glanced around the arena, and suddenly realized that his duel with Jim was being viewed by almost every other duelist in the arena. It appeared that almost every other match was over.

In the distance, Jaden saw Alexis battling a man who appeared to be Weevil Underwood. He spared her a 'good luck' underneath his breath before continuing with his move.

Looking at his drawn card, he smiled. "Let's rock! I summon **Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird (800/500)**!"

The spectators expected a much more impressive move than summon a red, cartoonish hummingbird, but then, they did not know what else Jaden had in store. The young duelist was proving to be full of surprises.

"You showed me your special fusion, Jim, so I think it's time I show you mine! When Elemental Hero Neos and a Neo-Spacian are on the field, I can fuse them without Polymerization!" Jaden explained with growing boisterousness.

"No way!"

"Yes way! Now, I fuse my Air Hummingbird with my Neos using Contact Fusion to summon **Elemental Hero Air Neos (2500/2000)!"**

The combination of Air-Hummingbird and Neos was surprisingly intimidating. It had the impressive physique of Neos with the red plumage and wide wings of Air Hummingbird. Great gales whipped up as the fused monster descended to the field.

"It's no issue, it still has the same points as your original Neos!" Jim pointed out, sighing in relief.

Jaden wagged a finger playfully. "That's where you're wrong, buddy. You see, Air Neos gains attack points equal to the difference between our life points! You see, the card is useless if I'm already winning, but in a tight situation like this, it really comes in handy! Now check this out!"

Light red energy coalesced around the Neo-Spacian warrior as his attack points shot through the roof. **(Air Neos 4650/2000)**

"No way…that's incredible!" Jim had to grab ahold of his hat to make sure it didn't blow away in the wind. Karen baled and snapped at Jaden's monster, but to no avail.

"You're really strong, and I bet you could beat anyone here. But it looks like I win this round." Jaden complimented.

"We'll have to play again sometime, only next time I'll be the winner." Jim accepted his defeat with grace and class. "Now do it."

"Right! Air Neos, destroy his Giant Soldier of Stone now!" A mighty blast of wind cut down Jim's proud stone statues, winning Jaden the match. The attack was so impressive that even Seto Kaiba himself spared a glance towards the duel.

The audience was enraptured by the display. In a few moments, the wind died down, and another second of silence passed before the crowd and the surrounding duelists applauded the display of skill. **(Jaden 550/Jim 0)**

Jaden and Jim strode towards each other and shook hands, causing another peal of applause to break out. "And with that, Jaden Yuki will be chosen as the seventh finalist of the KC Grand Championship!" Roland announced to the audience.

"Jaden Yuki…he'll be one to watch out for." Adrian murmured to himself. He had already won enough duels to be chosen as a finalist; unfortunately, Chazz had not reached him in time.

Chazz figured that Jaden would have won; he did not know that it would be such a close match. He wasn't sure how he would fare against the fossil duelist, to be perfectly honest.

The Ojama duelist made his way through the crowd to reach his rival and friend. Jaden gave him a thumbs-up, which Chazz hesitantly returned. Jim went over and made his goodbyes before leaving with Karen. As he watched Jim's receding form, Jaden couldn't help the feeling that he was going to see the man again some day.

"What did you think of that? Pretty sweet dueling on my part, if I do say so myself!" Jaden turned around boasted to Chazz, who scoffed. "Oh please, you got lucky, that's all!"

"Whatever you say, man. So I take it your duels went well?" Jaden asked, changing the subject.

"I guess…I was trying to get at that Adrian punk the whole time, but all these kids popped up and challenged me. I think I've kicked the asses of four twelve-year olds in the past hour alone." Chazz grumbled.

Jaden laughed at this; his friend always seemed to have horrible luck for one reason or another. "Haha, at least your in the finals. Don't worry, you'll get a real challenge once you face me!"

"Oh, I'm sure." Chazz retorted. "Hey, have you seen Alexis around anywhere?"

"I think she's one of the last people still dueling…hey, look! She's over there in the shade!" Jaden pointed to her position, he and Chazz hurrying over there immediately.

As Alexis considered her next move, she saw that her match with Weevil had amassed quite a crowd. Apparently, hers was the last preliminary match still occurring.

Weevil seemed to enjoy being the center of attention. "Hahaha! It's a shame that your defeat has to be so public! I'm about to beat you so bad, your reputation might not ever recover!" He gloated with extraordinary rudeness.

 _"At least I have a reputation…"_ She thought derisively. "Hey, Alexis! Good luck!" She heard Jaden and Chazz's voices from behind her. She cast a smirk their way before continuing.

"I activate the spell card **Monster Reborn** , allowing me to summon a creature from either of our graveyards!" She roared with icy determination.

Weevil snorted. "Why bother? There's nothing in the grave that can save you! You might as well surrender now!"

"Wrong! Your own monster's effect caused me to send a rather powerful monster to the graveyard. Behold, my **White Night Dragon (3000/2000)!"**

Freezing gales blasted everyone in the vicinity as Alexis' most powerful monster rose from the dead. Water molecules in the air froze and melded together, forming a fearsome draconic ice sculpture.

The sight of the monster bothered both Chazz and Jaden, but the Slifer Red duelist was especially perturbed. _"I thought she threw that card out after our last duel…what is she still doing with it?"_

At the same time, a man in the crowd was viewing he monster curiously. He was six feet tall with a mop of black hair and piercing blue eyes. The cold blast of air ruffled his yellow and blue striped shirt. "Huh, that monster looks like the Blue-Eyes…weird." He muttered to himself.

"Now, I attack your Worm with my dragon! Freeze up!" Alexis thrust her hand forward, signaling the attack. Her dragon unleashed a blast of ice from tis maw, racing towards the unfortunately hot-blooded arthropod.

"Hold on, girlie! You've activated my trap card-" The insect duelist began before he was interrupted. "Sorry, Mr. Underwood, but when my dragon attacks, spells and traps cannot be activated in response. Bad luck!" She smirked as the dragon's attack shattered the insect to pieces. **(Alexis 2000/Weevil 2100)**

"Nice move, Lex!" Jaden complimented. "I just hope Weevil doesn't have something up his sleeve…" Chazz fulminated. Weevil recoiled from the assault, surprised at the amount of resistance this schoolgirl was giving him.

"I'll set one monster in face-down position and end my turn." Alexis finished. As her turn concluded, the ice surrounding Weevil's Chainsaw Insect thawed, and the bladed bug was free once more.

"Strong work, but you have yet to see the true power of an insect deck! My draw!" Weevil was feeding off of the crowd's energy as well, and he was more boisterous than ever.

"I summon my **Armored Bee (1600/1200)** in attack mode!" Yet another insect crowded Weevil's field, this one taking the shape of an enormous wasp covered in robotic metal plating.

"And this insect has a very special effect indeed; it allows me to halve the attack points of one monster on your field until the end of the turn. And I choose your White Night Dragon!" Weevil cackled, thinking he had achieved victory at last.

"No way!" Alexis cursed. She was so sure she had the duel wrapped up, but then the insect duelist had pulled another of his loathsome surprises. Now her Dragon was vulnerable, as were her life points.

"Chainsaw Insect, destroy her overgrown ice sculpture now!" Alexis watched in horror as her beloved dragon was shredded by the bug. Since Chainsaw Insect attacked, Alexis was allowed to draw a card. It was the price Weevil had to pay for the monster's powerful attack points. **(Alexis 1100/Weevil 2100)**

"Now, my bee will sting your defensive monster!" At this, Alexis smirked. Her face-down card flipped up to reveal a strange monster indeed. The Armored Bee recoiled after stinging what appeared to be an innocuous snowman.

"You expect to stop my attack with a mere snowman? What sorcery is this?" Weevil shrilled.

"Actually, this is a pretty useful card, Mr. Underwood. It's my **Snowman Eater (0/1900)** , a monster that, when flipped face-up, immediately destroys one of your monsters!" As Alexis said this, a grotesque lizard scuttled out from underneath he snowman and bit into Weevil's Worm Warrior. **(Alexis 1100/Weevil 1800)**

The green-haired duelist bristled. "You defended yourself for one turn! Next time, you're going down!"

"We'll see, Mr. Underwood!" Alexis roared, feeling herself get lost in the thrill of the match. Yes, this is why she came to this tournament in the first place. She felt so cold all of the time, so deprived of stimulation. Her schoolwork was menial and easy. She hardly had any female friends from her own dorm, who all were preoccupied with trivial things like romance and gossip. She could never be like them; she craved the feeling of success, of pushing past her previous limits.

It wasn't until meeting Jaden that she truly felt like anything was possible, and it was him that she thought of as she drew her next card. "I activate **Polymerization** , allowing me to meld two monsters and perform a fusion summon!"

"What can she summon? She only has one card in hand, so it can't be Cyber Blader. Did she add new fusions to her deck?" Chazz asked.

"Yeah, she did. And I think know which card she's about to play!" Jaden looked on with pride.

"I fuse my Snowman Eater on the field with the **Elemental Hero Ice Edge (800/600)** in my hand!" Another blast of cold air accosted the spectators. Weevil was openly shivering at this point, and condensation began to fog up his glasses as the temperature dropped further still.

"I summon **Elemental Hero Absolute Zero (2500/2000)!** " She cried. From a cloud of mist, a warrior wearing white and blue armor stepped forth. His alabaster cape flapped in the wind, and his face was obscured by an intimidating helmet.

Chazz felt a familiar jealousy bubble up within. The sight of Alexis playing an Elemental Hero filled him with impotent rage.

Angrily, he turned to Jaden, who seemed to be oblivious of his rage. "How did she get that card?" He snarled.

"Pretty cool, huh? I gave it to her a few days before the tournament. I thought it fit pretty well with her ice theme deck, and Ice Edge was able to find a place in her deck well enough." Jaden replied cheerily.

Chazz grunted and snapped away, upset. _"She still values him over me…that has to change."_

"She's able to summon beater after beater…" Weevil murmured. "Absolute Zero, destroy his Armored Bee!" Alexis shouted. The icy Hero thrust its hand forward, and the hornet was flash-frozen in a chunk of raw, dry ice. "I'll set one card and end my turn." She said. **(Alexis 1100/Weevil 1300)**

"She's got him beat…" Chazz marveled at the strength of this new hero. "Absolute Zero's got an amazing effect as well. I wonder if we'll see it in action." Jaden said cryptically.

Weevil now looked truly frustrated. "How can I beat that?" He drew tentatively, desperately formulating a plan. He set a single card. "I switch my Chainsaw Insect to defense mode and end from there."

The crowd was still, wanting to hear every word the duelists said. On televisions across the country, Duel Monsters enthusiasts tuned in raptly. And to think, it was only the preliminaries!

Alexis drew, set a card, and then attacked. "Absolute Zero, destroy his Chainsaw Insect!" Her hero raised its hand, preparing to freeze its opposition once more.

"I play my trap card, **Lair Wire**! By removing an insect from my graveyard, I can destroy your monster, no matter how strong it is!" Weevil responded quickly, and like that, the Elemental Hero was wrapped up on a cocoon of deadly string.

"No way! Even her Absolute Zero was no good! I think Weevil's going to win this one!" A random member of the crowd voiced.

Alexis did not seem perturbed by this. Her aura of class and grace was more radiant than ever. "You're a good player, Mr. Underwood, and this match has been exhilarating. But all good things must come to an end, and this match is no different."

Weevil sputtered, "What do you mean? Don't talk as if you could end this duel at any moment! You're going to lose next turn!"

"No, I'm not." She calmly replied. "When Elemental Hero Absolute Zero is sent to the graveyard, every single monster on your side of the field is destroyed. The ice age has arrived." She intoned as Weevil reluctantly sent his Chainsaw Insect to the graveyard, leaving him defenseless.

"And now, my last card. **Call of the Haunted."** She revealed her face-down trap. It was a common card, but it had an undeniably useful effect; it allowed the user to resurrect a monster from the graveyard. She didn't have to say anything else. White Night Dragon rose menacingly behind her, casting her in pale light.

As Weevil stared at the face of defeat, he sighed. "Guess I got squashed this time..."

The dragon unleashed its frosty breath, and the duel was finished. **(Alexis 1100/Weevil 0)**

Again, the crowd erupted in adulation. This duel was much closer than any other preliminary match, and so it made for exciting entertainment. "And with that, Alexis Rhodes of Central Duel Academy will be a finalist! Congratulations to all of our players! The Quarterfinal bracket will be introduced by Mr. Kaiba shortly." Roland's voice carried even over the thunderous applause.

After a terse handshake with Weevil, Alexis made her way over to her friends. She grinned wildly, overcome with adrenaline. "You both made it in too?" She asked quickly.

Jaden gave a thumbs-up while Chazz nodded. She laughed and shook both of their shoulders. "You guys, we're in the finals!" She said as if she couldn't really believe it. Chazz had never seen her so excited before, but he found himself grinning just by being in her presence.

"Yeah…yeah, we are." He said quietly.

End Chapter 3

Featured Card: Elemental Hero Absolute Zero **(Level 8 Water-Attribute Fusion Warrior) (2500 ATK/2000 DEF)**

 _1 "HERO" Monster + 1 WATER Monster_

 _Must be fusion summoned and cannot be special summoned by other ways. This card gains 500 ATK for each face-up WATER monster on the field, except itself. When this card leaves the field: Destroy all monsters your opponent controls._

 **A/N**

 **Greetings lovely readers, and thank you for your continued interest in this story!**

 **With this chapter, we have ended the preliminaries and ascertained our finalists.**

 **I thought it would be a neat idea to have Jaden duel Jim in this chapter. They dueled in canon as well, under much more unfortunate circumstances. Jim is an easy character to write; I like him quite a bit. Jaden will continue to play his usual Heroes/Neo-Spacians in this fic, as one might expect.**

 **Chazz was saddled with babysitting duty this chapter, but I assure you, his talents will be shown greatly in chapters to come. Chazz will play a variety of cards from both his anime and manga decks in this fic.**

 **Alexis faced an old veteran in this chapter; Weevil! I'm pretty sure he's the go-to fodder villain for the Yugioh series, and that is no different here, although he did give the Obelisk Blue Ice Queen a good game. As you saw in this chapter, Alexis is primarily using her manga deck, which is ice-themed. She even included ice-themed Elemental Heroes, much to Chazz's aggravation.**

 **Next chapter will begin the quarterfinals! As always, leave a review if it pleases you. The next update will come as soon as possible, although as I am currently enjoying a vacation in the Florida Keys, you'll understand if writing isn't an utmost priority. Still, I'll try to have a new chapter up in the next nine days. Peace**


	4. Ragnarok, Reciprocation, and Respect

**Chapter 4: Ragnarok, Reciprocation, and Respect**

There was much commotion as the fifty-six unlucky competitors shuffled out of the main arena and into the bleachers where they would observe the rest of the tournament. There was a group of seats partitioned from the public where the duelists who had already been defeated could view the rest of the matches at no extra charge. Kaiba's generosity surprised all; he could be quite magnanimous when he wanted to be.

Jim gave Alexis a friendly hug to congratulate her on progressing in the tournament. At this point, Chazz was so irrationally enraged that he was beginning to get a headache. As soon as he got a chance, he was going to see whether the concessions counter sold Advil.

"Now, will the eight quarterfinalists please make their way to the central dais?" Roland intoned again. The eight finalists stepped up to the raised platform and got a look at each together.

Chazz took in the appearances of his rivals. Himself, Alexis, Jaden, and Adrian made up the half that he could recognize. There was a vaguely familiar man in a yellow and blue striped shirt, messy black hair, and amused blue eyes. He was conversing casually with another man of about the same age who had long russet hair tied into a ponytail. That man wore a rather pedestrian sweater and slacks, contrasting with his rebellious, vaguely punk haircut.

The last two finalists stood aloof from the others. One of them was a teenager who appeared to be a year younger than the Duel Academy students. He had long white hair, a black longcoat, and dark jeans, giving him the appearance of a rock star trapped in a younger body.

The last finalist was curious in that he was staring directly at Chazz with what could only be construed as contempt. He was an older boy with tan skin, close-cropped dark hair, and brown eyes. He wore a white t-shirt and khaki pants. His arms were tightly crossed, and his lips were clenched together. Absentmindedly, Chazz wondered what the guy's problem was. Before he could give the matter further thought, Roland spoke again.

"The order of the matches was decided based on lottery. The matchups are completely randomized. The bracket will proceed as follows;

In the first match, Jaden Yuki will be dueling Haruto Tenma." Jaden looked over at the white-haired man and smiled. Tenma did not return it, a deadly serious expression on his face.

"In the second match, I am pleased to announce that the younger brother of Mr. Seto Kaiba, Mokuba, will be facing former Grand Championship finalist Leon Von Schroder!"

This announcement was met with wild applause from the audience and utter bafflement from the other finalists. The man in the yellow striped shirt waved at the crowd, as did his purple-haired friend.

"No way…I had no idea Mokuba Kaiba dueled competitively!" Adrian voiced everyone's shock.

"Yes, this is awesome!" Jaden nearly jumped for joy. "I wonder if he's as good as his brother!"

"Are you kidding me? If he's even half as good as his brother, we hardly stand a chance!" Chazz said, surprisingly dour in the face of this new challenge. "Maybe so, but we'll never know unless we try!" Jaden responded blithely.

"Leon Von Schroder is no slouch either- he won the first Grand Championship when he was only a child. He was even capable of challenging Yugi Motou himself!" Alexis said quickly, showing her nearly encyclopediac knowledge of dueling history.

"Ooh, I bet he's strong too! This day is just getting better and better!" Jaden gushed with excitement, much to the exasperation of his friends.

From his seat, Seto Kaiba looked up his brother with pride. As the years had gone on and Mokuba had grown up, Seto could no longer devote as much time to Duel Monsters tournaments. Having to look after a tremendously large multi-billion dollar company put a crimp in his spare time, needless to say. Instead, he had begun teaching Mokuba the nuances of the game. This would be his brother's first major tournament, and he expected a good showing. After all, he was taught by the best.

"The third match will be Adrian Gecko against Alexis Rhodes." said Roland. Alexis and Adrian looked at each other at the same time. Alexis' gaze was fierce, while Adrian's was casually amused. Alexis found herself rather anxious to wipe that smug look off of his face.

"The fourth round will have Chazz Princeton dueling Joshua Torres." The dark-skinned boy, who Chazz now knew as Torres, looked fiercely excited to duel Chazz.

"Mr. Yuki and Mr. Tenma will now make their way to the center of the arena for the first match while the remaining duelists while wait in the atrium. There will be refreshments as well as a view of the game currently going on."

Chazz and Alexis wished Jaden good luck before making their way to the waiting area. Behind marble pillars were a collection of cushy chairs to view the duels as well as a table of complimentary soda cans, water bottles, and sandwiches.

Chazz grabbed some food for Alexis and himself. She took the sandwich while rolling her eyes at his puffed-up display of chivalry. Adrian hovered by them, a fact that bothered them both. They tried to ignore the presence of the others to focus on supporting Jaden.

"Hey, Princeton!" An enraged voice called. Chazz slowly turned around, realizing he still hadn't gotten any Advil yet.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you, you son of a bitch!" Joshua Torres yelled, his coarse language shocking everyone else in the room. He angrily placed a hand on Chazz's shoulder, turning him around completely.

"I realize that you're talking to me. My only question is what the hell you're talking about. Also, you appear to have accidentally placed your dirty hand on my shoulder." Chazz said waspishly.

"How dare you? Do you really not recognize me? I'm Joshua Torres of the Torres Tobacco Company!" The bellicose young man roared.

"Is that so? I'm afraid I've never sampled any of your products. Don't take it personally. Smoking's not for everyone-" Chazz's tepid sarcasm greatly contrasted Torres' rage.

"Don't bullshit me! You know damn well why I'm pissed at you, Princeton!" Torres screamed.

Chazz tensed when his surname was brought up. "Oh great…what happened?" He asked, a note of concern laced in with exasperation. It appeared he was going to be cleaning up yet another of his brother's messes.

"The Princeton family is responsible for sending my father's tabacco company out of business. Last year, a E-Cigarette store opened nationwide that was funded by Slade Princeton! You're the reason my dad's looking for a job right now, you bastard!"

Alexis suddenly stood up and faced Torres, fury evident in her face. "Look, Chazz hasn't had anything to do with his brothers for almost a year and a half! It's old news! Besides, Chazz has nothing to do with your business anyways, we're not even old enough to buy cigarettes!" She, outstandingly, managed to keep her voice somewhat restrained, despite the severity of her words.

Despite the fact that everything Alexis had just said was entirely truthful, Torres' anger was not quelled in the least. He spat to the side, scoffing. His mocking eyes turned back to Chazz. "Need your girlfriend to fight your battles for you, Princeton? That's fucking pathetic…"

Chazz wasn't even angry; all of this guy's grievances against him were completely invalid. He probably just needed someone to be mad at; having your own father's company be run out of business was a stressful experience. Besides, Chazz was sure he could beat this joker in a duel.

"Just wait until our duel. We'll settle this then." Was all Chazz said in response. Torres sneered at him one last time before moving to the other side of the room to watch the duel.

"Punk…who talks to me like that, anyway?" Chazz grumbled as he sat down. _"Just about everyone, these days…."_ Alexis thought with an inward cringe. "No one, Chazz, that guy was just crazy, you'll beat him for sure…" was what she said outwardly, rubbing Chazz's shoulders with one hand.

"Torres thinks Chazz and I are together. That should amuse me, but it doesn't for some reason…I guess I feel bad for Chazz…he really gets no respect whatsoever…" These thoughts tumbled through her head.

Adrian sauntered over to Chazz and Alexis. "Chazz, I didn't know that you had a falling out with your brothers. Such a matter was never publicized, for obvious reasons I'm sure."

Chazz sighed. "Right. They wanted me to do some things. I didn't want to do those things."

Adrian smirked. "I can imagine. The lifestyles of the rich and famous aren't for everyone, I suppose. Some are simply not cut out for the constant struggle for relevance…"

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "What does your family do?"

"The Gecko family deals in petroleum and other industrial technology. The Princeton's have held business with them in the past." Chazz interjected.

"Correct. In fact, the family is doing better than ever this year. The main reason I entered this tournament was to extend my clan's influence in the dueling circles. You see, we hope to do business with Kaiba Corp in the future." Adrian commented.

Alexis frowned; the idea of dueling purely for the love of money and power was repugnant to her. Were such cynical measures truly needed to succeed in this world? Was this the world that Chazz had lived in for so long? It was no wonder the guy had such issues.

"I think the duel is starting soon. Your friend Jaden is quite interesting. I've never met such a successful duelist with such a blithe attitude." Adrian said.

"Jaden is…unique, that's for sure." Alexis sighed, at last finding some humor in the conversation.

As they spoke, a curious change was occurring in the environment. The sky was darkening unnaturally, constellations brightly dotting the sky despite the fact that it was high noon.

"Huh, did the preliminaries really take that long? It's already nighttime." Jaden wondered, as oblivious as ever.

"It's just a hologram, I think…" Haruto murmured, his heavy bangs obscuring his eyes from view. Both duelists were enraptured by the change- despite the darkness being purely artificial, there was something undeniably atmospheric and beautiful about it.

"During the duels, the Kaiba Corp holographic projector canopies will present new environments. This is partially for the spectators to avoid sunburn, but it is also for aesthetic effect." Kaiba announced from his seat. The audience had no complaints, finding the darkened atmosphere exciting.

The Slifer Red duelist looked at the starry sky one more time before he began shuffling his deck. He stood across from Haruto, who was doing the same. After they were finished, they placed their cards in their duel disks and shook hands.

"Hey man, good luck." Jaden grinned, his friendly nature shining through. Haruto nodded silently at him and turned about-face, walking to his side of the arena. _"Man, he looks like someone just kicked his dog…"_ Jaden thought with a chuckle.

"I still can't believe my brother let a Tenma compete in his tournament." Mokuba spoke confidentially to Leon.

"The sins of the family should not be visited on the child. Haruto wasn't even born when that nasty business with Yako went down. Hey, if Seto let me compete, there's no reason why Haruto couldn't." Leon rationally commented.

"I saw Gekko earlier today. What a nice guy!' Mokuba smiled. "I know, right? Couldn't believe how cool he was." Leon added.

Meanwhile, Seto Kaiba viewed the match from above with amusement. "Haruto Tenma…I wonder if he's got a better attitude than his father. And that Yuki kid seems familiar too…I wonder if I've ever met him before. I feel like I should recognize him."

Jaden and Haruto drew their five cards. A quick rock-paper-scissors decided that Haruto would go first. The silent boy drew a card to signal the beginning of his turn.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the first duel of the quarterfinals begin!" Roland announced. The audience watched with full attention.

"I shall set one monster face-down as well as two other cards. That shall end my turn." Haruto spoke up for the first time that day; his voice was calm, quiet, and somewhat raspy.

Jaden drew. "Alright pal, here I come! I summon **Elemental Hero Neos Alius (1900/1300)**." Jaden's first monster was a small warrior that looked like a chibi-fied Elemental Hero Neos. The monster was illuminated from below by the holographic projectors so that everyone had a clear view of it.

"Now, I'll attack your monster!" Jaden called. Neos Alius rushed forward with a chop. Haruto's monster was revealed to be a **Dandylion (300/300),** which was a leonine creature made from plants.

"Cool, I have that card too!" Jaden said. "In that case, you'll know that I get two tokens when it's destroyed." Haruto responded coldly. As he spoke, two fluffy dandelion flowers sprouted on his side of the field, each with zero attack and defense points.

"He must be planning to sacrifice those tokens for something next turn." Alexis commented. Adrian smirked; he knew what Haruto was about to summon.

"Ok, I set two cards face-down and end my turn!" Jaden said. Haruto drew, and he wore a small grin as he made his next move.

"I activate my face-down trap card, **Zoma the Spirit (1800/500).** This trap card acts as a monster that I can summon to my field." Zoma the Spirit was a creepy, undead dragon, its haggard breath and purple skin highly unsettling to some of the frailer members of the audience.

"It's all good, my Neos is still stronger!" Jaden reminded.

Ignoring him, Haruto continued. "I do not intend on attacking with my Zoma. I plan to use it as a sacrifice. Tell me, have you ever heard of the Wicked Gods?"

"What? That guy has a Wicked God? Those cards are super expensive!" Chazz nearly shouted in surprise.

"For real. They weren't even released to the public until a few months ago. Something tells me Haruto got his particular copies of the Wicked Gods straight from his uncle." Mokuba made conversation with the Duel Academy group for the first time.

"Indeed. Frankly, I'm surprised Industrial Illusions released them at all, considering the fiasco that happened eleven years ago with them." Adrian commented, but did not elaborate.

"What do you mean?" Alexis asked.

Mokuba raised his hand to tell the story. After formally introducing himself to everyone else, he began recanting the event.

"You see, eleven years ago, Haruto's crazy uncle Yako tried to take over Kaiba Corp. He was under the impression that his mentor, Maximillion Pegasus, was killed by Yugi Moto. Yeah, I don't get it either. The guy was a total nutcase, but he was an amazing duelist. He even managed to beat my brother." Mokuba explained.

"Crazy! What happened then?" Alexis gasped. "Yugi beat him, but it was one of the closest games I've ever seen him play. If Haruto is half as good as his uncle, then your friend is in for a rough game." Mokuba said.

"Jaden's been in a few tough games of his own, he'll be fine." Chazz said, offhand.

"Oh really? We'll see just how good your friend is soon enough." Adrian said snidely.

"Can't say I've heard of a Wicked God. Sounds ominous." Jaden said with a shrug.

"Oh, they are quite ominous, I assure you. But then, you'll see that for yourself soon enough. I sacrifice my two Fluff tokens and my Zoma!" Haruto shouted. His monsters disappeared in matching pillars of yellow light, rising towards the black heavens.

"I call forth **The Wicked Dreadroot (4000/4000)**!" The Wicked God came forth from a portal of purple shadows, and it was a highly intimidating creature indeed. Over sixty feet tall, it towered above the coliseum walls. It was green-skinned titan, decorated with bones and skulls. It's arms were a terrible shade of black, and just one of its jagged teeth were as large as Jaden was.

"Yeah, your friend's pretty much screwed." Adrian said with a grim laugh. Alexis shot him a withering glare.

"Now that my Wicked God is on the field, all of your monsters lose half of their attack and defense points." Haruto coldly intoned.

"What's the point of that? Your monster already has 4000 attack points, it's not like I'm going to try and battle over that." Jaden pointed out.

"Silence! My Wicked Dreadroot will attack your Neos Alius now!" Haruto cried. The evil deity thrust its titanic fist forth and struck the smaller Hero with a thunderous crack. **(Jaden 950/Haruto 4000)**

However, when the dust cleared, Neos Alius still stood, surrounded by a golden halo of energy. "I activate my trap, **Hero Ring**. When an Elemental Hero with 1900 or less attack points is about to destroyed by battle, this trap prevents its destruction." Jaden explained. "So that means my Neos is still around!"

"Yes, I can see that." Haruto muttered. Jaden's friendly personality was grating his nerves. "I'll end my turn there. Good luck, Yuki. You'll need it."

Jaden drew, completely unconcerned. He knew he could find a way to win. "I summon **Neo-Spacian Air-Hummingbird (800/500)!"** The red bird appeared again, its goofy appearance giving the audience a giggle.

"My hummingbird's effect lets me gain 500 points for every card in your hand, and I count three!" Jaden said, gaining back a good chunk of life **. (Jaden 2450/Haruto 4000)**

 _"Is he going to fuse again? I doubt that would help him, but I should be careful anyways."_ Haruto thought, inheriting the cautious nature of his father, Gekko.

"Now, I set a card and end my turn." Jaden announced anticlimactically.

Haruto sweatdropped. _"He must be trying to lure me into a trap…This guy is a shrewd strategist!"_

 _"Man, I'm hungry…I wonder if that new movie with Scarlett Lawrence is any good. She's a good actress, but I don't know if I like the director…"_ Jaden's mind wandered.

"You think that you're being coy, but I can see right through your plans!" Haruto declared. "I activate **Mystical Space Typhoon**! This card lets me destroy one of your spells or traps!"

Jaden gulped. He had two cards face-down- a Mystical Space Typhoon of his own, and a Mirror Force that could destroy Haruto's God monster. The entire game depended on what card Haruto decided to destroy.

"I'll destroy the card on your left!" Haruto declared. Jaden sighed in relief; it was his own Mystical Space Typhoon that was destroyed. "Looks like you were unlucky this time, bro!" Jaden said cockily.

"Damn!" Haruto cursed. "Fine, I'll attack with my Wicked Dreadroot anyways! This duel is finished!" The emerald titan reared back a punch yet again, this one promising Jaden a swift departure from the tournament if he did not act. The crowd reached a fever pitch.

"No, is Jaden really about to lose to this punk?" Chazz wondered, indignant. Alexis averted her eyes, for she could not look. Adrian was looking more smug than ever.

"I activate **Mirror Force** , destroying all attacking monsters on your field!" Jaden's words were damning- Haruto could only watch as his mighty God Card shattered apart like pieces of glass.

The audience deflated like a balloon. There were disappointed that such a rare card would so unceremoniously destroyed by a staple like Mirror Force. Some even went so far as to denigrate Jaden, booing him.

"Poor Jaden, the crowd's turned against him again." Alexis chuckled, fondly recalling the time when he dueled a Dark Magician Girl cosplayer on Duel Monsters Spirit Day at school. The cosplayer was so charming that nearly every red-blooded male (and quite a few females) cheered against Jaden. This time, it seemed as though it was merely the fickle nature of the audience at work.

"A sly move. One that I wouldn't have expected." Adrian said.

"No kidding. You would figure that Haruto would pack some spell and trap protection for his Wicked Gods, but I guess he didn't." Leon added.

"The kid's a rookie. He probably hasn't worked out the fine details for his deck yet. This duel will serve as valuable experience, whether he wins or loses." Mokuba said with the air of a veteran.

"Impressive, but that's not all I've got, I assure you. Now, I set a defensive monster. That's all." Haruto, amazingly, managed to retain his composure, despite the devastating setback he was forced to endure.

Jaden drew and prepared to attack. "First, I'll use my Air Hummingbird's effect. You have one card in hand, so I gain an extra 500 points!" **(Jaden 2950/Haruto 3200)**

"I activate Polymerization, fusing my Neos Alius on the field with the **Elemental Hero Burstinatrix** in my hand! This lets me summon **Elemental Hero Nova Master (2300/2000)**!"

Flames rose into the air, the sparks trailing off into the night sky like a campfire. From the fire emerged a hulking warrior clad in bright red-orange armor. "How do you like that? I'm just getting warmed up!" Jaden said facetiously.

"That was the worst pun I've ever heard in my life." Haruto replied drily. "If that was the worst, you really need to hear more bad puns. Nova Master, let's fire it up!" Jaden said, adding fuel to the fires of Haruto's annoyance.

Nova Master's fist was encased in flame, and it tore through Haruto's defending **Mystical Elf (800/2000)** with ease. "The best part is that when my Nova Master destroys a monster, I get to draw an extra card! Now, Air Hummingbird will attack you directly!"

The cartoonish avian pecked at Haruto, depleting his life points. **(Jaden 2450/Haruto 3200)**

"That should be all for my turn." Jaden said, crossing his arms triumphantly. The fire from his Elemental Hero cast a warm glow around his body- his brown eyes were tinted with flecks of gold from the light. Haruto looked practically desolate in comparison. His grey eyes shone in the dark night like gaslights as he plotted his next move.

"This match is far from over, I assure you. Now, I end my turn." The Tenma heir said coldly.

Chazz surveyed the match with a veritable whirlwind of emotions. On one hand, he would rather Jaden win this duel so that he could face him later on. Part of him even wanted Jaden to win just out of friendly support. At the same time, seeing the Slifer Red duelist so successful never failed to irk him.

 _"You've always been like this…always coasting to victory without even a drop of sweat on your forehead as you do so! Well, this time is going to be different! I'm going to defeat you this time, Yuki!"_ He felt his thoughts grow angrier and angrier, so he stopped fulminating while he still could.

Alexis seemed to notice the subtle furling of his brow, the intensity in his eyes. "Is something bothering you?" She asked, casting him a sidelong glance. "No. I just think that Tenma kid has something up his sleeve." Chazz lied easily.

 _"As for you, Alexis…you will be mine. I will not live as the plaything of destiny! It's time for me to take control of my life!"_ His thoughts became intense again, and he chose to focus on the duel as a distraction.

"Bad draw, huh? That sucks, man. I've been there, but I'm afraid I can't easy on you, you're way too good. I'll use my Air Hummingbird's effect to gain 1000 life points." **(Jaden 3950/Haruto 3200)**

"Now, Nova Master attacks you directly!" Jaden called, and Haruto was bathed in flames from the Elemental Hero's assault. Strangely, he did not seemed bothered at all by this. **(Jaden 3950/Haruto 900)**

Haruto smirked. "You made a grave mistake, Yuki. You attacked me directly while I had no cards on the field."

"Well yeah, that's the obvious course of action." Jaden replied cheekily.

"Silence! You have activated the effect of **Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness (2700/2500)** in my hand. When I am attacked when no cards are on my field, I can summon this card from my hand." As Haruto spoke, a warrior wearing menacing black and silver armor emerged from the night.

"And that's not all! When this effect is activated, I can summon an Emissary Token with the same amount of attack and defense points as the monster you attacked me with!" A female paladin joined Tenma's field, holding a shiny silver blade in her lithe hands. **(2300/2300)**

"Oh, shoot." Jaden chuckled. "Guess I have no choice but to end my turn, then."

"Right." Haruto sniffed. After drawing his next card, an unmistakable, genuine smile graced his lips for the first time all game.

"Finally having fun?" Jaden ventured. "Yeah, I am. And I think it's time you find out why! I activate the spell card **The Monarchs Storm Forth**! This allows me to use one of your monsters as tribute fodder! And I choose your Nova Master!" Haruto shouted.

"He must have another Wicked God!" Mokuba said with raised eyebrows. "Right, that should give him three sacrifices!" Alexis commented.

Adrian rolled his eyes. _"Must they always point out the obvious?"_

"Now, I sacrifice my Gorz monsters, as well as your Nova Master!" Haruto yelled. "I call forth the second of my Wicked Gods, **The Wicked Avatar (?/?)**!"

Jaden cringed as he watched his monster disappear. After the sacrifices, nothing could be seen for a moment. Jaden, looking around for Tenma's monster, finally looked skywards.

The stars had been completely blotted out. A enormous sphere of black upon black descended like a meteor from the heavens themselves. Jaden, as well as the audience, were deeply unnerved by the sight of the shapeless mass of darkness.

"The Wicked Avatar is rather different than Dreadroot," Haruto explained. "It takes the shape of whatever the strongest monster on the field is. At the moment, that would be your Air Hummingbird."

The shifting blackness finally settled on a form, one that could be scarcely seen by the crowd. Now that's Jaden's Nova Master was gone, the night had returned with a vengeance. Many of the spectators held out their cellphones to better view the action.

The Wicked Avatar had become a jet-black recolor of Jaden's red bird, a dark mirror. "The Wicked Avatar gains the attack and defense of your monster plus 100. This way, it is always the strongest monster on the field, no matter what. There is no monster in the game that can defeat it in battle." Haruto boasted.

"Well, that's no good." Jaden, as usual, comically underreacted to the desperate situation.

"No, it's not. Now, I think it's time I take that annoying bird out of the picture. Attack!" Tenma shouted. Jaden's Neo-Spacian ironically suffered a death by pecking. Once Jaden sent his hummingbird to the graveyard, The Wicked Avatar reverted to a constantly squirming, a shadow-drenched mass waiting to take its next form. **(Jaden 3850/Haruto 900)**

"I'll end my turn. Keep in mind that the summon of my Avatar prevents you from activating any spells or traps until the end of your next turn!" Haruto explained, feeling as though his victory was assured.

Jaden grinned again. "Whatever. I draw!" As he considered his next move, he realized that the best course of action was to do nothing at all. With no other monsters on the field, The Wicked Avatar had no attack or defense points.

"I'll end my turn." Jaden said, allowing himself to grow cocky. Haruto ticked in aggravation _. "It certainly didn't take Yuki long to figure out my monster's weakness…"_

Haruto did not draw a monster; if he did, he could have won the duel that very turn, but such is the luck of the draw. "I…end my turn." He said in resignation. There was no way victory could escape him; he was the wielder of the Wicked Gods!

Jaden drew. "Alright, let's go! I activate the spell card **Miracle Fusion**! This type of fusion lets me combine Elemental Heroes in my graveyard by banishing them from play! Now, by banishing Elemental Hero Neos Alius and Elemental Hero Nova Master, I can create a new Hero!"

A piercing beam of light broke through Kaiba's holographic night, and daytime returned to the arena. The audience was temporarily blinded by the sudden burst of brightness. The Wicked Avatar itself shrunk away from the sunlight.

"I summon **Elemental Hero The Shining (2600/2300)!** " Seemingly from the sun itself descended a hero of the light. The male warrior wore a bodysuit of white armor, with blades of golden steel attached to its elbows.

Instantly, The Wicked Avatar took the shape of its adversary, becoming a distorted, dark mirror of Jaden's Hero. It wore jet black armor with silver blades, and held 100 extra attack points.

"It's no use, Yuki! You cannot defeat The Wicked Avatar in battle!" Haruto boasted.

"Actually, I can. You see, your Wicked God can only copy the original attack of my Hero. If I increase The Shining's attack points, I can surpass your Wicked Avatar! Elemental Hero The Shining gains 300 attack points for every Hero I have removed from play. Since there is two, it gains 600 attack points!" Jaden explained as his Hero's attack points rose to 3300.

"And now, since it's the only card in my hand, I can special summon **Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200)**!" Jaden's goofy blue warrior took the field in a storm of bubbles.

"I-impossible…" Haruto lamented. "I never imagined someone could defeat one of the Wicked Gods, let alone two…"

"Shining and Bubbleman, attack!" Jaden roared. With a ball of bright white energy, The Wicked Avatar was completely obliterated by Jaden's hero. **(Jaden 3850/Haruto 400)**

A final blast of water from Bubbleman sealed the match. The audience exploded as the winner of the first round was decided. **(Jaden 3850/Haruto 0)**

"Nice job, Jaden!" Alexis cheered her friend's victory. Chazz clapped out of respect, as did Mokuba and Leon. Torres and Adrian could only gape in shock at the outcome of the match. _"This kid is one to watch for…"_ They both thought nearly simultaneously.

Jaden met Haruto halfway across the arena, where the shook hands once again. "Good match, man." Jaden complimented.

"Thank you, Yuki. I know now that these Wicked Gods are not invincible. I'll be better prepared for our rematch this way." The cold man had finally made a somewhat friendly remark.

"I'll be waiting!" Jaden said with a wink. Haruto nodded. "I'm gonna go talk to my dad now, but I'll be watching the rest of the tourney, so don't mess up!"

"I won't, I'm planning to win it all!" Jaden responded in kind before making his way back to the waiting area. Alexis gave him a quick hug while Chazz fist-bumped him.

"Impressive, Jaden Yuki. Most impressive." Adrian said mysteriously. "Uh, thanks. So, who's up now? I wanna know who I'm playing next." The Slifer Red duelist asked, curious.

"Looks like we're up." Mokuba said, tapping Leon's shoulder. "I hope you're ready to get whipped again, Schroder."

"As if, Kaiba." Leon responded calmly, strapping his duel disk to his elbow. "Wow, I get to see Seto Kaiba's younger brother in action! Awesome!" Jaden gushed, still filled with adrenaline from his recent duel.

"Indeed, and you'll see that the talent runs in the family." Mokuba declared confidently as he exited the waiting area with Leon.

End Chapter 4

Featured Card: The Wicked Avatar **(Level 10 Dark-Attribute Fiend)** **(? ATK/? DEF)**

 _This card cannot be Special Summoned. This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set except by tributing three monsters. Your opponent cannot activate Spell or Trap cards until the end of the second turn after this card is Summoned. The ATK and DEF of this card are each 100 points higher than the highest face-up monster's original ATK on the field (except The Wicked Avatar)_

 **A/N**

 **Greetings lovely readers, and thank you for your continued interest in the story!**

 **This chapter marks the first time I've ever incorporated the use of original characters in a fanfic. I'm normally averse to the concept, but I felt it appropriate here.**

 **Haruto Tenma serves as a link between GX and the manga side-story Yugioh R. Haruto is the son of one of Yugi's primary allies during that side story, and his uncle is the main villain of that side story. Haruto here uses the Wicked Gods, which were designed by Pegasus and Yako to be evil counterparts of the Egyptian Gods. If you guys haven't read Yugioh R, I would encourage it. It's well-written stuff, and it gives Joey Wheeler (one of the best characters in the franchise) some victories, so that's a plus.**

 **Joshua Torres has no canon relationships, but in his characterization, he is much like Ziegfried von Schroder- a smaller business tycoon whose livelihood was ruined by the family of the main character's rival.**

 **Speaking of which, we are introduced to older incarnations of Mokuba and Leon here! I always thought it was strange that Mokuba never dueled in the series proper, considering his brother is obviously very skilled at the game. Here, Mokuba's unique talents will be showcased, as will Leon's. You'll recall Leon coming from the Grand Championship filler saga front he original series.**

 **The next chapter features the quarterfinal match with Mokuba facing off against Leon. As always, leave a review if it pleases you!**


	5. Lightspeed

**Chapter 5: Lightspeed**

After Jaden fetched some water to cool himself off, he plopped down on the bench. He landed directly in-between Chazz and Alexis, much to the black-haired duelist's dismay.

"Ah boy, I'm parched!" The Hero duelist said as he chugged the bottle of water. Chazz groaned and spared a glace towards Alexis. Unbelievably, she caught his eye. Was that a hint of disappointment in those hazel eyes, or was he imagining things again?

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Chazz turned his attention back to the incoming duel. "Mokuba…I wonder if he's quite as skilled as his brother. You know Yuki, you're going to face the winner of this duel." He said to Jaden in a weak attempt at banter.

"Yeah, I know." Jaden grinned, not seeming perturbed in the slightest.

Mokuba and Leon took their places across from each other and activated their duel disks. Each gave a knowing smirk to the other- it was clear that this was not the first time they had battled each other.

As they spoke, Seto activated the second of his holographic backgrounds. His face was as stony as ever- he gave no sign of support to his younger brother whatsoever.

The arena became a lush virtual garden, filled with a wide variety of flowers, plants and vines. Marble pillars surrounded Mokuba, while a row of hedges lined up behind Leon.

"It'd be real embarrassing if you got you got your ass kicked at your big brother's tournament." Leon half-joked as the shrubbery snaked around him.

"Indeed." Mokuba said with a chuckle as he drew his first five cards. The young man possessed a certain dignity now that he certainly didn't have as a child. "You won't mind if I go first, then?"

"By all means." Leon said.

"In that case, I'll summon **Alexandrite Dragon (2000/0)** in attack mode!" Mokuba began. Onto the field appeared a large dragon, its scales embedded with jewels. It let out a mighty roar to mark its territory. "And one face-down to end my turn."

"Hey, I'm going to the bathroom." Chazz said, hopping to his feet. Truthfully, he just wanted some fresh air. He stretched his arms and sauntered his way over to the restroom.

He opened the door, only to be unfortunately greeted by the sight of Adrian Gecko. Chazz muttered a grunt of greeting and made his way past the rival duelist.

"I take it you don't have any interest in this duel either." Adrian spoke without even looking at Chazz

The Ojama duelist scoffed. "It hardly matters. Yuki will beat whoever wins anyways."

"Oh, really?" Adrian muffled a laugh. "You seem to be very confident in your friend's abilities. Is he the best duelist out of your little band?"

Chazz bristled; the question was uncomfortable to him in many ways. He often thought of what would happen if he dueled Jaden now. The statement agitated him. "He's not better than me." was what he responded with.

"In that case, I shouldn't have to worry about either of you." Adrian snarked.

Chazz's face contorted in anger. "No, you won't. Not after Alexis kicks your ass! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go take a leak."

Adrian did not seem perturbed at all by his rival's rage. "Right. We'll see about that, Princeton." He said haughtily before sweeping from the hall.

Chazz suppressed his anger as he went inside the restroom- his idea of going out to cool himself off backfired tremendously. He felt more and more annoyed as the day went on.

Adrian rejoined the spectators, passing by the aloof Torres to stand by Jaden and Alexis. The Obelisk Blue queen glanced at him quickly before turning her attention to the duel at hand.

"Alright Mokuba, here I come! I summon **Cinderella (300/600)** in attack mode!" The crowd collectively giggled when they saw Leon's monster. In response to Mokuba's intimidating dragon, Leon had summoned the fairy-tale princess herself. With her light blonde hair and blue dress, she fit the picturesque garden scene perfectly.

"C'mon man, you'll have to come at me with a little more than that." Mokuba joked.

"I plan to! When Cinderella is summoned, I can call forth **her Pumpkin Carriage (0/800)** in defense mode!" To the princess' side came the titular carriage, its pumpkin canopy covered in vines. "When my carriage is on the field, Cinderella can attack you directly!" Leon added.

"Now, I equip Cinderella with her **Glass Slippers**! This gives her 1000 extra attack points!"

As the glass slippers materialized on her feet, Jaden began laughing out loud. "What kind of cards are those? I mean, I've seen some weird decks at school, but this takes the cake!"

Alexis reclined in her chair, laughing. "That's Leon Von Schroder's fairy-tale style deck. You laugh, but those are the same cards he nearly defeated Yugi Moto with." She explained lazily.

"He also used an illegal card, as I recall. I have no respect for those who cheat." Adrian felt the need to add.

"Yugi complimented him and called him a true duelist, as I recall." Alexis countered, growing annoyed with Adrian's catty remarks. He merely smirked in that uniquely condescending way of his and turned his attention back to the match.

"Now, I attack you directly!" Leon called. Cinderella laughed demurely before flinging a glass slipper at Mokuba. The holographic glass shattered at Mokuba's feet, the Kaiba heir chuckling at the ridiculous nature of the attack. **(Mokuba 2700/ Leon 4000)**

"Cinderella's been kind enough to give you her slippers, so I think the least your dragon can do is wear them!" Leon laughed as crude constructs of glass formed around the Alexandrite Dragon's feet. "When Cinderella attacks, one of your monsters is forced to wear her glass slippers, causing it to lose 1000 attack points."

"Right." Mokuba grumbled at how quickly Leon had garnered an advantage. Seto Kaiba watched from above with a stern gaze. No one could truly tell what his feelings were at the moment, but one thing was certain; he would not be happy if Mokuba besmirched the family name by losing in the first round of the tournament.

Gulping, Mokuba drew. Pleased with his card, he continued on with a slightly more confident expression.

"I play **White Dragon Ritual**! By sacrificing a Level 4 Monster, I can use this ritual to call forth my **Paladin of White Dragon (1900/1000)**!"

The audience collectively gasped. It was true; Seto had allowed his younger brother to use his cards. If Mokuba was using the Paladin of White Dragon, then that could only mean that the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was lurking somewhere in his deck.

Jaden, Alexis, Adrian, and Torres were at full attention; the possibility of seeing a Blue-Eyes White Dragon in action demanded immediate notice. Jaden was the most excited, partly because if Mokuba won this duel, he could be the next one to face a Blue-Eyes.

The Slifer duelist suddenly remembered a strange fever dream he had after falling asleep in a hot tub during his freshman year at Duel Academy. In his dream, he was dueling a mysterious individual who looked like Seto Kaiba fused with Batman. This man somehow used a Blue-Eyes White Dragon deck, despite only three copies of the Blue-Eyes still in existence.

In the dream, Jaden remembered getting soundly defeated by this apparition. Why he lost a duel in his own dream was a mystery he would discuss with his therapist later. For now, he had to consider the possibility that he could be going up against a deck he lost to before.

Winged Kuriboh, Jaden's Duel Monster spirit partner, suddenly appeared by his side, giving him a reassuring purr. _"I'm a lot stronger than I was then. I can beat a Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"_ He thought.

A pillar of blinding brightness revealed a knight in dazzling white armor atop a small silver dragon. The lizard roared, thrilling the crowd. The knight raised its lance in the air.

"Now, I'll attack your princess!" Mokuba called. The paladin speared the fairy-tale girl, and the audience gasped in horror. **(Mokuba 2700/ Leon 2400)**

"Brutal, man. Usually, the knight defends the princess." Leon laughed the damage off.

"This is no ordinary fairy tale! This time, the dragon's gonna win!" Mokuba smirked. "I activate my Paladin's effect. By sacrificing it, I can summon a very special monster from my deck. You might have heard of it before."

Jaden and Alexis stood up, such was the extent of their excitement. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod-" Alexis was constantly whispering under her breath. Even Torres held an expression of childlike wonder at what was about to happen.

"I call forth the strongest of the dragons! A creature of awesome destructive power! The **Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!"**

From the sky, a beam of bright white light touched down behind Mokuba, illuminating the young man to the point that only his silhouette was visible.

Chazz was just returning from the bathroom. "Hey guys, what did I miss- OH MY GOD!" Chazz nearly fell to his knees when he saw what was happening in the duel.

Glowing with a divine aura, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon roared to the heavens with a glorious screech. Leon, to his credit, stood his ground in the face of the terrifying monster.

Chazz fell to his knees. "No way…the Blue-Eyes White Dragon…" He murmured, dumbstruck. "This is insane! I can't believe Kaiba lent his cards to his brother!" Adrian nearly shouted.

"Unfortunately, I can no longer attack this turn. You have one shot, Leon. Don't waste it." Mokuba warned.

"Right." Leon drew, his muscles taut with tension. "I can't do much against that dragon with only a pumpkin carriage…" He chuckled grimly. "I'll play another monster in defense mode and set another face-down."

The contrast was clear between the two men's dueling styles; while Mokuba opted for flashy combos that drained his hand, Leon played defensively, accumulating card advantage while fortifying his defenses.

"Smart stuff- Leon can't fight that dragon, so he's going to lure Mokuba into a trap! Chazz, I'd bet you a coffee that face-down is a Mirror Force!" Alexis said in hushed tones.

"If it is, then Leon is the luckiest bastard in this tournament…and I'd owe you a coffee." Chazz said slowly, finding himself engrossed in the competition.

"Alright man, I see you." Mokuba smirked; it was clear he knew what Leon was trying to do. "I don't think I'm going to attack this turn. Instead, I summon the **Maiden With the Eyes of Blue (0/0)!"**

By Mokuba's side, a beautiful, pale waif with flowing locks of sapphire hair appeared. She shone with the same radiant glow as the dragon; it was clear that the two monsters were connected in some way. "I think that's all for now."

"Wait, I've never heard of that card before…what does it do?" Jaden wondered, voicing everyone else's confusion.

"I bet those Kaiba punks commissioned it just for this tournament- they do that sort of shit all the time." Torres spoke up with a note of bitterness. Everyone else nodded, knowing this was probably true.

"It's a cool-looking card, that's for sure. I wonder if Chumley designed it…" Jaden wondered, fondly remembering his portly roommate who now worked at Industrial Illusions.

"Alright, time to defeat the undefeatable…just all in a day's work." Leon said as he hesitantly drew. "Now, I summon **Forest Wolf (1800/1300)** in attack mode!" Leon's next monster was his most eclectic yet; a wolf dressed in a pink dress and a shower cap.

"OK, what in the name of Obelisk is that thing?" Chazz sweatdropped. Everyone was rather weirded out by the monster, except for Alexis.

"Obviously, it's based off of a western fairy tale! I believe it's the one where the wolf dresses up as this girl's grandma so that he can eat her." She babbled.

Chazz fought the urge to laugh. "OK, you either know too much about this, or too little."

"Man, even I think this is weird!" Jaden, a man who once experienced a psychedelic battle against a robot in space with a talking dolphin, said.

"Now, my wolf will attack your maiden!" Leon called out. The beast rushed forward, but before it could bite down, it was repulsed by the girl's golden aura.

"Bad move, bro. My maiden's effect activates. Now, not only is your attack negated, but I can summon another Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck!" The crowd gasped again. Another radiant dragon appeared on the field, identical to the one Mokuba had previously summoned.

"Well, I think I'll just end my turn then." Said Mokuba, who was still scared of Leon's trap.

"Man, this game is going pretty slow." Chazz said, impatient. "It's because if either of them mess up, the other one will heavily punish it. This duel could be over in one move…" Alexis replied, engrossed in the strategy of both players.

"C'mon, there's got to be some way out of this…" Leon mumbled. "My face-down is a bluff, so I've got to draw something soon or else he's going to attack!"

Finally, Leon's luck had turned around. "I play **Dark Hole** , destroying every single monster on the field!" He roared.

"Man, what a lucky draw!" Mokuba cursed as a black portal engulfed his brother's beloved dragons. "Now I've got nothing to work with!"

"And now that your field is clear, I can attack! I summon **Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200)** in attack mode!" A demure woman with violet hair and black robes appeared on Leon's field. "Now, I'll attack you directly!" Unleashing a haze of shadow magic, the witch cursed Mokuba. **(Mokuba 1600/ Leon 2400)**

"Mokuba has only one card in his hand. He overcommitted to the field at his own cost. Two more attacks and we're golden!" Leon smiled, believing that he had the match well in hand.

Mokuba was dead silent as he drew his next card, and so was the audience. He glanced towards his brother again; all he had ever wanted was to make him proud. Today, he had that chance for the first time, and he wasn't going to waste it. "Time to show you just why I bear the Kaiba name! I summon **King of the Swamp (500/1100)** in attack mode!"

A slime monster colored a gruesome shade of light green oozed onto the field. Leon scoffed, expecting a much more impressive move than that. "That's too weak to do anything!"

"It's not supposed to attack. It just needs to be on the field so that I can play my next and final card! Go, **Dragon's Mirror**!"

A sharp collective intake of breath ensued. "No way…he's not really going to go that far!" Torres said in shock.

"Now, I can fuse dragons on my field and my graveyard! And I think I'll fuse my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons!" Mokuba said, his slate blue eyes narrowing in determination.

"You have two Blue-Eyes in grave, kid!" Leon protested. "Oh, silly me, did I forget to mention that King of the Swamp can be used as a substitute for any fusion material monster of my choice!?" Mokuba retorted. The King of the Swamp changed shape, becoming a horrifying facsimile of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

It didn't last long, however, disappearing in another beam of brightness. Every blade of grass in the garden was completely blown away, leaving only sandy dirt in its wake. "It's time…" Mokuba said, and in that moment his resemblance to his older brother could not disputed, "time to call forth the strongest dragon ever!"

"I summon **Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800)!"** The younger Kaiba shouted with booming pride.

A hydra with blue scales and eyes crystalized on the field, its might palpable despite it being nothing but a mere hologram. Its tail slapped on the ground with enough force to create an earthquake. It was truly one of the mightiest monsters in the game.

The spectators were simply amazed, gobsmacked beyond words. To see the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in action was a privilege worth the price of admission in itself- the rest of the tournament was merely a bonus from here on out.

Leon was shaking, but he managed a chuckle, for the sake of appearance. "At least I warranted this much effort…"

"It's over! Ultimate Blue-Eyes, destroy his monster with Triple White Lightning!" In each of its three mouths, the dragon charged up strident spheres of electric power in what seemed to be an instant, and only another moment passed before they washed over Leon's lone monster.

An explosion of light engulfed the entire stadium like a flashbulb, and when everything returned to normal, the verdant environment and the Ultimate Dragon were gone completely. The duel was finished. **(Mokuba 1600/Leon 0)**

Leon was on one knee when the attack hit, but quickly stood tall again to face the crowd, who politely cheered his admirable performance in the match.

However, the applause for the Kaiba scion was much greater. Seeing the Ultimate Dragon attack was not a sight any of them would soon forget. Mokuba stood proudly in a way that was entirely his own.

The contestants had recollected themselves. Jaden, although outwardly calm, was brimming with excitement at the challenge ahead. Chazz and Alexis, on the other hand, doubted that they would fare much better than Leon did against the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"It's not just that his cards are powerful, it's that we barely saw any of them! I don't think he played ten cards in that entire match! How many other strategies does he have up his sleeve!?" Chazz muttered as the two duelists shook hands in the middle of the ring.

"It's alright, Jaden will beat him anyways." Alexis, ever the stalwart friend, said peacefully. Jaden merely smiled in response, glad to have her support. What he didn't realize what her affections towards him ran far deeper than mere camaraderie.

She sighed; those warm brown eyes of his always brought her so much comfort. She wished that she could be to him what he unknowingly was to her, but she knew that, for some reason, Jaden didn't seem to be very interested in romance. He gravitated irrepressibly towards fun and challenges, stepping towards greatness with such grace and ease. If anyone could defeat a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, it would be him.

She only wished she could be by his side. Yet somehow, she suspected it could never be.

Then, her gaze suddenly shifted from Jaden's passionate eyes to Chazz's hardened, intense ones. Why were those eyes capturing her attention more and more recently? Chazz was a hopeless suitor at best, a drooling dog at worst. And yet, he was so genuine, so real with her. He paid such careful attention to her cares and whims, and was grounded in a way that the otherworldly, psychedelic Jaden could never be.

Mokuba and Leon walked by, snapping Alexis from yet another reverie. "Good game, man." She dimly heard Mokuba say to his friend, who was somewhat grumpy about his loss.

"Did you have to break out the Ultimate Dragon though?" Leon half-joked as he reached for a bottle of water. "Sorry, but I had to. Don't tell me you wouldn't do the same thing if you had the chance." Mokuba replied glibly. "Alright, you got me there." Leon smirked.

"And the winner of the second round is Mokuba Kaiba! He will go on to play against Jaden Yuki in the semi-finals!" Roland boomed to the audience. On the large screen, the current bracket was shown.

"And now, the third round will begin! Alexis Rhodes of Central Duel Academy will be playing Adrian Gecko of East Duel Academy!" He announced with the usual pomp.

"Look sharp. You're on." Chazz said, daring to touch Alexis on the shoulder. Her emotional introspections were cruelly cut short; now was the time for war. She stood proudly and equipped her duel disk.

Adrian was right there, and he appeared to be just as deep in thought as she was. Briefly, Alexis wondered what exactly was on his mind, but then realized that it didn't matter. Dueling Weevil was one thing, but she somehow knew that Adrian was going to be a uniquely challenging opponent. His grey eyes glinted with that damnable amusement; if nothing else, she would defeat him just to wipe that smug look off of his face.

The clouds darkened, although whether naturally or by the work of Kaiba's holograms, no one could be sure. A storm brewed.

End Chapter 5

Featured Card: Blue-Eyes White Dragon **(Level 8 Light-Attribute Dragon) (3000/2500)**

 _"This legendary dragon is a powerful engine of destruction. Virtually invincible, very few have faced this awesome creature and lived to tell the tale."_

 **A/N**

 **Hello all, and thank you for reading the fifth chapter of Coliseum!**

 **This chapter saw a match between two characters from the original series, although Leon only appeared in the Grand Championship filler arc. I hope you all liked the duel between them, as Mokuba's futuristic dragons fought Leon's mythical creatures. This was a good opportunity to show a version of Mokuba who is actually a threat on the battlefield, although he is mostly using his brother's cards. In Leon's case, I used his anime deck, most of the cards in which are not in the real life game.**

 **Next chapter, Alexis will face off against Adrian, a duel I am very excited to write, mostly because I'll have the opportunity to round out two characters that rarely receive preferential treatment in the fandom (not that this is necessarily a bad thing, it just happens with fanfiction). I hope to do this by fleshing out Alexis' emotional perspectives and foreshadowing the dark desires Adrian would become known for in canon. Anyways, please give feedback and have a blessed day.**


	6. Diamond Dust

**Chapter 6: Diamond Dust**

The sky was shading from white to black so quickly, it seemed as though time itself was moving faster. Arcs of lightning coursed over their surfaces as the clouds grew in the distance. A subtle change in humidity occurred, and that distinctive smell that precedes rain permeated the air.

Alexis thought nothing of it, fully concentrated on the match ahead as she walked out to the field. Adrian's mind was wandering, and he appeared to be rather disinterested in the proceedings.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, without further delay, let the third round begin!" Roland called.

The two duelists shook hands tersely and shuffled their decks. After a coin toss, Adrian received the first turn. After he drew his first card, the duel officially began.

In the waiting area, Chazz and Jaden sat, watching the two contestants intently. Torres was pacing like an angry dog, excited at the prospect of humiliating Chazz in the next duel. Leon and Mokuba grabbed some food and relaxed, Mokuba seemingly nonchalant about facing Jaden in the next round.

Suddenly, Jaden turned towards Chazz, his usual smile absent from his face. In its place, an introspective expression was there. "I wonder how strong Adrian is. He certainly has confidence." Jaden said, gauging what Chazz's reaction would be.

Chazz's brow furrowed, but he otherwise had no reaction. "Alexis will beat him easily."

"Man, you really like her, huh?" Jaden mumbled. He always knew that Chazz was attracted to Alexis, but ever since the black-haired duelist was freed from the Society of Light, something had changed in the way he looked at her. It was so obvious that even Jaden could recognize it.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do." Chazz murmured in response. It pained him to talk about his feelings to Jaden, of all people, but the Slifer acknowledging this sparked an internal revelation within him. He wanted to be with Alexis, but he also wanted to redeem herself in her eyes. Even during his time as Sartorius' lieutenant, he never felt quite right about the way he had defeated Alexis. Part of him was filled with pride that he had asserted his superiority, but he was undeniably guilty about robbing her of her free will. It was a truly heinous crime, to twist a person's will, and even if he himself wasn't in his right mind at the time, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty about it. He just wished he could talk to her about this, instead of Jaden.

Luckily, Jaden did not press the issue, seemingly ambivalent about it all. His attention was snapped back to the duel, a battlefield that was much more familiar to him than the battlefield of feelings and emotions.

Adrian was preparing his strategy; he wanted to end this duel as fast as possible. A quick victory would send a clear message not only to his competitors, but to those in the audience who would doubt the Gecko family.

"I'll begin by setting a face-down card and summoning my **Cloudian-Cirrostratus (900/0)**." Adrian's first monster was not some muscled warrior or fearsome dragon like Alexis would have suspected based on the boy's lofty demeanor. No, the monster was a puffy white cloud, animated with adorable cartoon eyes and little bear paws.

Chazz and Torres balked at it. When Torres realized he was laughing at the same time as his hated enemy, he immediately stopped and resumed his angry stewing.

"What a joke! Does this guy really think he can play against the likes of a Blue-Eyes using cards like that!?" Torres sneered. Chazz threw him an annoyed glance, for he knew exactly what it was like to be underestimated because of one's cards. There was no doubt that Adrian was stronger than he appeared.

Alexis knew this as well, and maintained her focused gaze. "When my monster is summoned, it gains a fog counter for every Cloudian on the field, giving it one." Adrian explained as a swirl of cottony fluff circled around his monster.

"I see, and you can activate your monster's effects based on the fog counters on the field." Alexis surmised.

"Correct. Thus, I will activate my spell card **Cloudian Squall** , allowing me to place a fog counter on every monster on the field during my standby phase." Adrian said, maintaining an almost-businesslike countenance. "I'll end my turn with that. Now it's your turn to impress me, Miss Rhodes."

"Oh, you'll be more than impressed once I'm finished." Alexis declared confidently, causing a thrill to race through the crowd. Since the preliminaries, Alexis had become popular amongst the audience for her icy presence and deadly beauty. Adrian's move was met with lukewarm reception by comparison. No one wanted to cheer for the rich boy.

"Now, I'll begin by playing **Double Summon** , allowing me to normal summon twice this turn!" She said.

"Is that so? I thought Double Summon let you draw cards." Adrian snarked. Ignoring him, she continued. "Now, I summon **Snow Fairy (1100/700)!** " Onto her field materialized a young woman clad in mystical blue armor.

"As long as this card is on the field, you cannot activate spells from your hand or during the turn they are set. Now, I'll summon **Blade Skater (1400/1500)** to the field." A graceful lady in a tight purple bodysuit skated onto the icy field.

"Now, I'll attack your cloud now!' She thrust a gloved hand forward to signal the beginning of her assault. The Snow Fairy created a spear of ice and threw it at the cloud. Although it ripped a hole in the puff of water and air, it did not destroy it.

"I apologize, Miss Rhodes, but Cloudians cannot be destroyed by battle." Adrian smirked. "That may be true, but that doesn't mean I can't do some damage!" Alexis said as her Blade Skater sliced through the cloud. **(Alexis 4000/Adrian 3300)**

"If he knew that his monster can't be destroyed, why did he put it in attack mode?" Jaden questioned.

"Cloudians are destroyed once they are put in defense mode. All of the deck's plays revolve around constantly being at risk of damage. I think it's a bad strategy, personally." Leon commented.

"We'll see how it works out for him. This Adrian guy doesn't strike me as a shoddy duelist." Mokuba replied, sipping on a soda.

"That's it for my move." Alexis said, relaxing slightly now that she had the life point advantage.

"Very well." Adrian said, as calm as ever. The dark clouds had obscured the sun completely, and a grey pallor hung over the battlefield. "I activate the continuous trap card **Natural Disaster**. Now, every time one of your cards is destroyed by a Cloudian's effect, you take 500 points of damage. And unfortunately for you, a storm is about to roll in. Next, I'll summon Cloudian- Acid Cloud (500/0)"

A nauseatingly green curl of smoke wafted onto the field, much to Alexis' disgust. "When this monster is summoned, it gains a fog counter for every Cloudian on the field, including itself. And now, my fog counters will be put to good use! By removing two from each of my cloudians, I can destroy one of your monsters and one of your face-downs!"

Alexis' eyes widened. _"I see, so this is what he uses those counters for…this might be tougher than I thought!"_ She winced as her face-down trap and her Snow Fairy were destroyed.

"And now that trap of his ensures I take damage…" She frowned as she was forced to lose 1000 life points. **(Alexis 3000/Adrian 3300)**

"What do you think? It seems you're having more difficulty with these little puffballs than you thought!" Adrian boasted.

"I never said this would be an easy duel. Just because I haven't figured out how to beat your monsters yet doesn't mean that I won't. Just you watch!" She declared as she drew her next card.

"I summon **Blizzard Dragon (1800/1000)** in attack mode!" The blue-scaled dragon appeared in a haze of diamond dust, roaring with pride. "I see, you used that one against Weevil Underwood." Adrian commented.

"Right, so you should know what it does! I can freeze one of your monsters until the end of your next turn, and I choose Cirrostratus!" As she spoke, the rabbit cloud was encased in a perfectly cubic block of ice.

"Now, I'll attack your acid cloud with both of my monsters!" Alexis shouted. However, despite the ferocious assaults of her monsters, the noxious green cloud always reformed. **(Alexis 3000/Adrian 1100)**

"Nice, she's really laying on the damage. She'll win next turn if this keeps up!" Jaden said enthusiastically, showing his support for his friend. No one else was pleased, Chazz in particular seeming downright pensive.

"That may be, but Adrian hasn't lost a single card yet. He's been accumulating card advantage while she's been preoccupied with his monsters." Chazz, ever the analyst, spoke up.

"Even still, Adrian basically has one more turn before Alexis beats him. The kid better get his crap together." Mokuba shrugged.

The dark clouds broke open, and rain began to fall. Luckily for the spectators, the weather was entirely engineered by KaibaCorp's holograms. The transient raindrops passed through the people and the ground harmlessly, but the dramatic effect it served to create was undeniable.

"This storm is the perfect backdrop to your defeat." Adrian leered. "You are insufferable. Go on, make your move." Alexis responded. She was growing irritated with this boy who never seemed to lose his cool no matter how close to defeat he was. What did he know that she didn't?

"Now, I think it's time to end this with a strike of lightning!" Adrian drew. "I gain two more fog counters. Your strategy of freezing my Cirrostratus was smart; too bad your dragon's power doesn't prevent monster effects! I remove my two fog counters to destroy your Blizzard Dragon!"

Alexis grimaced as her blue dragon went up in a puff of smoke. "Now, I'll sacrifice my Acid Cloud and Cirrostratus to summon **Cloudian- Eye of the Typhoon (3000/1000)**!"

The mist around Adrian whipped up and coalesced into a spiraling hurricane. In its center was a literal eye, an unblinking orange iris that sent chills up Alexis' spine. It was more of a force of nature than a traditional monster. Still, she stood tall in the face of this new threat. Over the course of the tournament, her initial uneasiness with dueling had gone away, and that old adrenaline returned. Adrian would not intimidate her.

"Now, I attack your Blade Skater!" Adrian thrust his hand forth and the storm winds ripped apart Alexis' sole remaining defense. The mood of the battle had noticeably shifted; Alexis seemed small and inadequate in the face of Adrian's ultimate creature. **(Alexis 1400/Adrian 1100)**

The crowd was alight, wondering what would happen to their young heroine. _"My only chance is to fuse for something. I have a King of the Swamp in my hand and a Polymerization. Depending on what monster I draw, I might be able to win. I know that Chazz will beat that punk next round; I can't be the only one to lose here!"_ She thought frantically. It all came down to this.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn. Your move, Miss Rhodes. Are you still so foolishly confident now? Do you still write me off as merely a roadblock?" Adrian asked flippantly.

 _"Actually, I'm feeling pretty good right now. Is this what Jaden feels like when faced with a challenge?"_ Alexis smiled in pure-hearted enjoyment. She could care less about proving herself in front of this arrogant and insecure man; all that mattered was the pleasure and feeling of each passing moment.

This was so different than the day-to-day rigors of Duel Academy, where she was always under the spotlight placed by her teachers and peers. There, she always had to say and do the right thing, or risk her grades and social standing. Here, there was only her and her opponent. This was the time to lay everything on the line, consequences be damned. Her smile widened as she drew.

"Excellent, it seems the luck of the draw is with me. I activate **Reinforcement of the Army** , allowing me to add a level four or lower warrior to my hand. I choose to add Elemental Hero Bubbleman!" She called. Jaden's ear perked when he heard her add the aquatic hero to her hand. It was another card he gave her, as he had an extra copy of it laying around his dorm room.

"And now, all of the pieces are in place. I activate Polymerization, fusing my King of the Swamp and Elemental Hero Bubbleman to summon Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!" She said, her crystal clear voice loud enough to be heard over the artificial storm winds.

In a whirlwind of diamond dust appeared the blue-white hero, a majestic warrior standing like a pillar in the typhoon. Adrian cocked an eyebrow, remembering the creature that defeated Weevil Underwood.

"Impressive. However, it appears you are too weak to challenge my Cloudian. I hope you knew that going in." Adrian said condescendingly. "She did know that going in, right?" Leon chuckled nervously in the waiting area.

"Of course I knew that! That's why I'm attacking you now!" Alexis smirked. "OK, something's wrong with your logic-" Adrian began, but was cut off as the Elemental Hero began its assault.

The rain had hardened into hail because of the Hero's immediate cooling of the atmosphere. Elemental hero Absolute Hero raised one hand to the sky, and the hail began to form together, forming a meteoric asteroid of ice layers. If it wasn't a hologram, the hail sphere surely could have destroyed the Silver Dragon's Coliseum.

With a wave of the hand, the Hero dropped the meteor. Adrian's Eye of the Typhoon went to work immediately, breaking apart the ice with tearing winds. Shards of frozen liquid flew everywhere, embedding into the Hero's armor as well as the hurricane's eye.

"What an attack!" Mokuba shouted. "I see…she's going kamikaze." Torres murmured. "Absolute Zero's effect allows me to destroy every monster on your field when it is destroyed. I hate to say it, but it looks like the skies are clearing up, Adrian Gecko!" Alexis said victoriously. **(Alexis 900/Adrian 1100)**

The holographic sky had indeed cleared to match Alexis' statement, Kaiba appreciating the dramatics of it all. The audience cheered tremendously for Alexis, but Adrian maintained a cool demeanor. "I see…very impressive. At last, you have stimulated this match, Miss Rhodes."

"I never said I was done! I activate my last card- **Fusion Recovery**! Now, I can bring back a fusion material monster and Polymerization." She said. She quickly grabbed Polymerization and Bubbleman. She set the Polymerization, leaving Bubbleman as the only card in her hand.

"Now that Bubbleman is the only card in my hand, I can special summon it and draw two cards!" The blue-armored hero knelt by her side as she drew two more cards.

"Smart stuff! She has defense and some cards! That was a truly incredible move!" Chazz said. He was excited for the first time; she could truly win next turn now.

"This one's too close to call!" Mokuba said, actually eating popcorn as he said this. "I wonder why Adrian still seems so chill then…" Leon wondered. Alexis passed turn, and Adrian drew slowly, sinuously so.

"I grow tired of this battle, Miss Rhodes. Skilled duelist though you are, this is where your tournament ends." He said, his voice cold and clear. "Oh yeah? I think you're bluffing!" Alexis replied mischievously. "It's been fun, but I have one last trap to play. **Call of the Haunted**."

The excitement in the crowd instantaneously vanished as if the oxygen itself was sucked from the stadium. Everyone knew what the card did, the meaning being plain from its name. It allowed the player to summon one monster from their graveyard, and everyone knew which monster the bespectacled boy had in mind.

Noiselessly, the Eye of the Typhoon returned, that single eye staring down Alexis once more. The wild look on her face slipped away, replaced by a calm acceptance.

"When my Cloudian attacks, I can change the battle positions of all your monsters." Adrian said in monotone. Bubbleman was forced into a standing position as the wind whipped around.

Jaden looked glum, while Chazz was furious. That smug look on Adrian's face the entire duel was finally explained; he always had a plan B. Alexis closed her eyes as the storm cloud's tempest rained down upon the Bubbleman and her life points fell to zero. **(Alexis 0/Adrian 1100)**

"The winner of the third round is Adrian Gecko!" Roland's announcement was drowned out by the deflation of the crowd. The people supported Alexis the entire time, and as she walked back to the waiting area, she heard consoling and cheering words from the audience.

She glanced over at Adrian. Despite winning the match, he held a neutral countenance. She held no ill will towards him, at the end of the day. He had no support from anyone in the crowd, but he fought on anyways. It demanded a certain amount of respect from her, despite his supercilious attitude. Now she was back in the swing of things, and would go back to school ready for any challenge that awaited her.

She returned to the contestant's area, her stance tall and dignified. Jaden and Chazz stood to greet her, and Chazz, feeling particularly daring, went in for a hug. To his surprise, she accepted the embrace without complaint. She felt cold to his touch, but Chazz was happy nonetheless. The hug lasted a moment before she broke it off and Jaden clapped her on the back.

"You gave him hell, at least." Chazz said. "I tell you, those Cloudians are tough to beat! You'll have to watch out for them next round." Alexis said lightly.

"You mean _I'll_ have to watch out for them in the next round!" Torres piped up from the sideline. His dark eyes were narrowed in anger. "Dude, you look seriously harshed. Maybe you should try yoga sometime!" Jaden joked.

Chazz smirked. "Oh that's right, I nearly forgot you were still here. You know you're about to get smoked, right?"

"Funny man, eh?" Torres growled. The conflict between the two heirs was beginning to boil.

"Round four will begin shortly, folks! It appears we are having some issues with our holographic projectors. We should be ready to go in about twenty minutes. In the meantime, I urge you all to enjoy some concessions!" Roland's proclamation instantly undercut the tension. Jaden an Alexis laughed, while Torres and Chazz sputtered and blustered.

"Man, every time I try to do something badass, it fails!" The black-haired boy pouted, causing Jaden to double over in hilarity. "Oh, Chazz, you're badass enough." Alexis said consolingly, an effect that was ruined by her not-so-secret laughter.

End Chapter 5

Featured Card: Cloudian- Eye of the Typhoon **(Level 8 Wind-Attribute Aqua) (3000/1000)**

 _This card cannot be destroyed by battle. If this card is in face-up defense position, destroy it. When this card declares an attack, you can change the battle positions of all face up monsters, except "Cloudian" monsters._

 **A/N**

 **Greetings, and thank you for reading the sixth chapter of Coliseum!**

 **I hate to have Alexis lose, but she was still a bit out of sorts from her time in the Society of Light, and Adrian is certainly no slouch, even without Exodia. I hope you all enjoyed their bout, I aimed to give both characters some respect.**

 **Next time, Chazz will finally have his time in the spotlight as he takes on the mysterious Joshua Torres! As always, leave some feedback if you like, and I'll see you all next chapter! This fandom seems to be coming alive again, despite this series being long over. It's good to be part of it!**


	7. Windfall

**Chapter 7: Windfall**

Although the tournament had only been going on for an afternoon, the constant suspense of the duels made the tournament seem as if it had been occurring much longer. Suddenly, the sun had grown low on the horizon, the scattered clouds tinted pink from the angled light. The star's bottom half was obscured by the top of the open-air stadium, and this was certainly no holographic effect. After the stormy weather of the last duel, the orange and blue sky did much to set the audience and the duelists at ease.

It took twenty minutes and an angry call to Kaiba Corp's IT department for Roland to get the holographic projectors back online. Torres was already standing in the center of the arena, pacing like a caged beast.

Chazz was entirely relaxed, finding Torres to be a rather amusing sideshow at best. And yet, something about the Spanish boy's anger reminded Chazz of someone…someone he couldn't quite place. The feeling of recognition lingered in the back of his mind, even as he spoke familiarly among his fellow duelists.

Everyone with the exception of Adrian was gathered in a circle and making friendly chitchat. The Cloudian duelist stood apart noticeably, idly reading something on his phone while glancing their way every so often.

Chazz used to be merely annoyed at the sight of the maroon-haired duelist, but seeing him defeat Alexis made him feel downright vengeful. It was silly to feel this way; Alexis herself wasn't upset at the defeat. In fact, she relished the chance to re-polish her dueling skills in a risk-free environment. Chazz didn't view it that way, only seeing the girl he held affection for being defeated by the hand of a man he already disliked.

Inwardly, Chazz felt a thrill of excitement at the prospect of defeating Adrian before an admiring crowd. And of course, it did not escape Chazz that Jaden was still in the tournament as well. Although the Slifer Red had earned his respect many times over at this point, Chazz wanted to at least have one victory over him. For now though, he would stomp out the growing fire of Joshua Torres.

"OK ladies and gentlemen, the struggle is now over! Will Chazz Princeton and Joshua Torres…" Roland began to ask them both out to the arena, but saw that Torres was already out there. "Erm…will Chazz Princeton please make his way out to the ring please?"

"Go get em, tiger!" Alexis said, playfully swatting him on the arm. "Yeah, kick his ass!" Jaden cheered. Mokuba and Leon gave Chazz a polite wave. The black-haired Ojama duelist was glad to have some support in his corner. It was certainly much better than being alone all of the time.

He threw on his infamous black trenchcoat and slowly strode into the sunlit coliseum. As he passed by Adrian, their grey eyes met briefly and a clear challenge was issued.

 _"Ooh~, the tension is real."_ Ojama Yellow popped up out of nowhere and whispered in Chazz's ear. The boy nearly jumped. "What are you doing here? Can't you see I'm trying to be badass!?" He muttered. _"Aw, c'mon boss, I'm your guardian spirit! I'm here to lead you into battle!"_ The yellow gremlin crooned.

"What was that, Princeton?" Adrian spoke up. "Nothing! Shut up!" Chazz nearly roared as he hustled out to the arena. Jaden saw the entire exchange play out, and could scarcely contain his laughter. Winged Kuriboh appeared right beside his head, the furball also giggling.

The sun set Torres' body in silhouette, the avenger's dark eyes crinkled in anticipation. His white vest and jeans rustled in the wind, and his duel disk was already activated.

"Listen man, I'll tell you one last time. I had nothing to do with your father's business or his fall from grace. I don't want bad things to happen to your family…just let go and we'll duel like men." Chazz ventured. He knew trying to reason with Torres was pointless, but for a reason unknown to him, he tried anyways. _"Why do I commit to such fruitless efforts?"_ Chazz thought bitterly.

"No more! I'll have no more of your poisonous words. You and your damnable brothers have ruined my life with your silver tongues! The only utterance I want to hear from that mouth of yours is an admission of defeat! Now, I shall show you what it means to fight like a man!"

The game began thusly, the crowd cheering at the prospect of a god old-fashioned grudge match. Jaden and Alexis shared a glance; they detected a certain similarity between the two rivals that extended beyond their circumstances.

"I'll begin and end by setting one monster." Torres snapped, quickly playing his cards and ending his turn. It was clear in both his words and deeds that he was in no mood for any sort of frivolity.

"Hmph, that's all? After that grandiose speech, that's your move?" Chazz smirked as he drew. "First off, I'll activate the continuous spell **Frontline Base**! Now, in addition to my normal summon, I can summon a level 4 or lower Union monster from my hand!"

"I'll play **X-Head Cannon (1800/1500)**!" Onto Chazz's field, a war machine was built. With its angular blue and yellow framing and large shoulder cannon barrels, the monster was an intimidating sight. "And with my Frontline Base's effect, I can summon **Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600)** as well!" Joining his side was a red mecha in the shape of a dragon, its metal wings flapping with a whine.

"Ah, your friend has good taste in cards. My brother loves those XYZ monsters." Mokuba commented fondly.

"You know, I think that's where Chazz got the inspiration to use them. I remember back when we were in prep school together, he used to talk about he was going to be 'The Next Seto Kaiba'. It was kind of cute." Alexis chuckled, recalling a childhood memory.

"Aw, he sounds like he would've been an adorable kid." Mokuba winked, and Alexis felt color creeping up her neck. Unbidden, less pleasant memories began to bubble to the surface of her mind. She remembered that Chazz was always challenging other students to duels back in prep school, and he won most of them. She never acquiesced to his requests, even for one friendly game. During class, she always saw him surrounded by fellow students, but he always walked to and from school alone. During those times when he was alone, she saw nothing but emptiness in his eyes.

Alexis shuddered, trying to return to the match.

"Now, I'll blast your face-down with my X-Head Cannon!" Chazz called his attack. His machine pointed its cannons at the adversary's monster and fired, leaving trails of gunpowder and smoke in the air. Torres' monster was revealed to be **Treeborn Frog (100/100),** a brown toad with silly little angel wings.

"Is that the best you can do? Your defenses are absolutely pitiful! Y-Dragon Head, attack him directly!" As Chazz spoke, the red dragon charged up a beam of blue electric energy in its maw. In a moment, it fired, barraging Torres with voltic power. **(Chazz 4000/Torres 2500)**

Chazz cackled. "They might as well have given me a bye this round! I'll set one face-down and end my turn."

"Yeah, just keep on laughing while you can, Princeton…" Torres growled as he began his next turn. "You destroyed my Treeborn Frog last turn-"

"Ah, is that the name of the card? I'm afraid it wasn't around long enough for me to properly read it!" Chazz interrupted. "Then it's a good thing you're about to see it again! You see, when I have no face-downs, I can summon Treeborn Frog from my graveyard!" Torres smirked as his frog returned to the field.

"You may scoff, Princeton, but these cards of mine mean much to me than you realize. You see, this deck was given to me by my father, who picked up the game of duel monsters as a way of spending time with me, his only son. The deck is a little old- I no longer have the spare change to buy new cards. Still, it was enough to get past the preliminaries, and it will be enough to crush you!" Torres roared. "I sacrifice Treeborn Frog to summon **Mobius the Frost Monarch (2400/1000)**!"

In a pillar of frost appeared a regal warrior in blue armor and cape. It looked like a grim, realistic mirror to Elemental Hero Absolute Zero. In its hand was a lance fashioned out of ice.

Chazz frowned. He knew of the Monarchs. They were relatively inexpensive cards with a straightforward and powerful playstyle. The reason he recognized them was because they were the cards he himself gave to Sarina's Light Brigade before their attack on Domino City, an attack that would have succeeded if not for the efforts of Syrus, Tyranno, Jaden, and Aster. The memory caused his mouth to curl downwards.

"Your father sounds like a decent man, Torres, which is more than I can say for you." The venomous indictment flowed so naturally from Chazz's mouth, and his mind was good at fashioning barbarous words.

"Mobius destroys up to two spells or traps when its summoned, so say goodbye to your face-down!' Torres pressed on, ignoring Chazz's insults. "Not quite! In response to your monarch's effect, I activate my trap, **Ojama Trio**!" Chazz retorted.

"Ah, now Chazz's real threats are starting to appear!" Jaden said conspirationally. "What? You can't possibly be referring to the Ojamas. Those cards are absolute trash!" Leon replied incredulously. "Hey, I'm not saying you're wrong. But when Chazz plays those Ojamas, the magic happens. I'm still not sure how exactly, but he can somehow make them work." Jaden shrugged.

"When this trap is activated, three Ojama tokens **(0/1000)** are summoned to your side of the field in defense mode. Unfortunately for you, they can't be used for tributes, but they take up plenty of space!" Chazz smirked.

Onto Torres' field arrived the infamous trio of goblins, each of them wearing the most facetious of expressions. Cheekily, they stuck their tongues out at the disgusted Spainard. "Such disgusting creatures!" He protested. "But it hardly matters! Mobius, destroy his Y-Dragon Head now!'

The frost emperor slowed the gears and circuits of the dragon mecha, causing it to shut down from the cold. **(Chazz 3100/Torres 2500)** "I'll end my turn there, Princeton."

Chazz was surprised to see that his draw was one of the newest cards he had put in his deck of disparate creatures. After his time in the Society of Light, he refurbished a few cards in order to create more aggressive playstyle. _"Time to show off one of my newest monsters!"_ "First things first, I'll use the effect of my Frontline Base to specially summon **Z-Metal Tank (1500/1300)** from my hand." A yellow-hued tank rolled into the field, a single mechanical eye poking between its two laser cannons.

"Is he planning to fuse them?" Alexis asked. "I doubt it. XZ-Tank Cannon wouldn't be powerful enough to defeat a monarch. Unless he has some way of reviving Y-Dragon Head…" Mokuba hypothesized, trying to understand Chazz's strategy.

"Now, I'll sacrifice my two machines to bring forth **Light and Darkness Dragon (2800/2300)**!" An explosion of equal parts shadow and light rocked the arena, its dichotomy intriguing the watchers. Emerging from a sphere of energy was the dragon. One half of its hide was shiny, pure white, and the other was pitch black.

"Now you see the difference between us! The gap that cannot be breached! Attack, my dragon!" Chazz's glorious, yet sinister monster complied, releasing a uniquely gray blast of energy at Torres' monarch. The emperor was obliterated by the bright darkness. **(Chazz 3100/Torres 2100)**

"What a monster! I had no idea Chazz had that thing in his deck!" Jaden grinned, impressed at the dragon's striking appearance. "And that's not all- that dragon has some special effects of its own!" Alexis reminded him. Adrian frowned. "I thought Chazz Princeton played Ojamas- not something of this magnitude!"

Torres did not seem too worried, despite the fact that he had only had Ojama tokens to defend himself with. "It's a strong card…but I know how to defeat it! Now that's it my turn and I have no face-downs, my Treeborn Frog is resurrected!" The angelic amphibian returned and was immediately heckled by the Ojama tokens.

"I see…he can keep on sacrificing that damn frog if he chooses to. And since I summoned those Ojamas to his field, the path to his life points is delayed! I hope I'm not digging my own grave here…" Chazz ruminated.

"Now, I tribute my Frog to summon **Caius the Shadow Monarch (2400/1000)**!" Torres brought forth the next in his line of kings. This monarch wore armor of a dark purple shade, and black hellfire burned on its palms. "When this card is summoned, I can destroy one of your monsters, and if it's a dark-attribute one, you take 1000 points of damage!"

"Not quite! I'll use the effect of my Light and Darkness Dragon! Whenever an effect activates, I can negate it and destroy the card at the cost of my dragon losing 500 attack points." Chazz declared, and with a meteoric burst of gleaming power, Caius the Shadow Monarch was atomized by Chazz's dragon.

"Haha! Now do you see!? You cannot defeat me!" Chazz roared. "I set one face-down and end my turn. Now, go on and sow the seeds to your own downfall!" Torres spat.

"I think not!" Chazz declared confidently. _"Shoot, no monsters…It looks like my dragon's going to be putting a lot more legwork than I thought…"_ "Now, I'll attack one of the Ojama tokens with my dragon!" The fallen prince roared.

"I activate **Mirror Force** , destroying all of your attacking monsters!" Torres shouted, playing the common trap. "I'll negate it with Light and Darkness Dragon!" Chazz ticked in annoyance as his dragon's power dropped to 1800. Another explosive wave of light burst forth from the mighty dragon as its assault continued, destroying one of the Ojama tokens.

Torres grunted. "This is getting serious…but I won't back down, Princeton!" **(Chazz 3100/Torres 1800)** "I draw!" The first of the evening stars had begun to blink into existence, and the intensity of the duel was beginning to spike.

However, Chazz's bellicose nature from earlier in the match was beginning to cool down. Unlike Jaden and Alexis, his excitement did not mount as the duel continued. Rather, it cooled like hot steel fresh from the ore into a steely and keen edge. While he was confident that he could defeat Torres before, now was he absolutely certain.

"Treeborn Frog comes back!" Torres' recurring pest popped onto the field once more. "Now, I'll summon **Alien Shocktrooper (1900/800)** in attack mode!" A demonic footsoldier with rough green skin and powerful hind legs knelt onto the battlefield. In its hand was a chipped blade. "Now, I'll take down that pesky dragon of yours! Shocktrooper, attack!"

In a skyward slash, the Light and Darkness Dragon was sliced apart by the space-born soldier. "My move is over. I hope you have something up your sleeve, because there's no way you will ever breach my defenses!" Torres said cockily. **(Chazz 3000/Torres 1800)**

"Chazz is in a bind…I didn't realize how much he was relying on that dragon!" Leon worried. "Oh, he'll be fine…Chazz hasn't even gotten started." Jaden said, ever relaxed. "You got that right." Alexis agreed.

 _"Hey, boss, is it time? Can we come out?"_ Ojama Yellow pestered. "Nearly…I just need to get my strategy going, you little twerp!" Chazz shot back. "Did you just call me a little twerp!?" Torres roared, his anger peaking. "No, not you! I was talking to the voice in my head!" Chazz shouted, not even realizing how foolish he sounded. Jaden laughed yet again.

"Now, I'm going to show you what true power really is, fool! Behold! I play **Monster Reincarnation!** Now, by sending a card from my hand to the grave, I can add a monster back to my hand! I'll bring back my X-Head Cannon." Chazz explained.

"So what? That thing's useless now that your other two mechs are gone!" Torres protested. "I know that! The real purpose was to send my **Ojamagic** spell card to the graveyard. Now, I can add the three Ojama brothers from my deck to my hand!" Chazz responded.

As he spoke, he drew the three Ojama cards from his deck. "I see the way they all laugh, the way you laugh, Torres. Even when you are at your lowest low, you continue to mock me. I admit, we are similar…alike in ways that disgust me. However, there is a distinction between us beyond mere cards. When life knocked me down in the dirt, I made the choice to stand up! No one else offered me a helping hand, and I would've swat away anyone who did! Sometimes, terrible things happen for seemingly no reason, and your weaknesses are struck at over and over." Chazz delivered the speech with the bombast of Julius Caesar himself.

"I already told you that I was tired of you talking! Make your move!" Torres nearly screamed.

"And so the only solution is turn one's weaknesses into strength! I activate **Polymerization**! Now, my three strongest monsters will fuse together! Go, Ojamas!" Chazz raised the fusion card high into the air with pride. Onto the field, the three gremlins appeared. Black, Green, and Yellow struck silly poses before leaping into the air, a gross parody of a superheroic comeback.

"This is the bolt of lightning that will strike you down! I summon **Ojama King (0/3000)**!" From the orange heavens descended a creature both undeniably grotesque and strangely angelic. It was an egg-shaped humanoid creature roughly as tall as a two-story house and twice as wide. Its white skin and large mouth was off-putting, while its shower curtain cape and red speedo were somewhat humorous. All in all, it was a completely and utterly odd monster.

"When this monster is summoned, I can select up to three of your monster zones and render them unusable. However, since you only have one empty zone, that's all my monster can affect." Chazz ran through the explanation like a professional.

"You call this a monster! That thing is disgusting! You actually believe that you can defeat me with something like this!?" Torres, in a panic, sneered. "Yes, I do. You see, I'm not quite finished yet. I activate the field spell **Ojama Country**. Now, whenever an Ojama monster is on the field, all attack and defense points are switched!"

"No! I can't lose to such a cheap trick!" Torres protested. "A cheap trick? As I recall, you're the one who spent this entire duel trashing my cards, calling them worthless. Well, guess what? This worthless 3000 attack point beater is about to show you otherwise! Ojama King, destroy his alien!"

The King reared its fist back, and its muscles comically expanded before striking Torres' shocktrooper. With its stats switched, the shocktrooper only had 800 attack points, and thus Torres took 2200 points of damage. **(Chazz 3000/Torres 0)**

Torres dropped to his knees, his eyes widened in shock. "No…I really needed this…I needed that prize money to help my dad!" His eyes, normally filled with rage, now sparkled with tears of sadness and pain.

Chazz winced. He knew that he would be dashing Torres' dreams by winning the duel, but he didn't expect that he would feel so bad about it. _"He would've lost against Adrian anyways…"_ was what he kept repeating to himself inside his mind. He couldn't bear to look at the man he defeated. As he turned around, the sound of Roland announcing his victory rang in his ears.

Cringing, he decided to look back, only to find Torres walking out of the arena with his middle fingers raised proudly. "I'm gonna get my money back…and I'm gonna do it my way!" The tan-skinned neophyte announced with a snarl, foisting his teenage angst upon the uncomfortable crowd.

Chazz's guilt disappeared. With a chuckle, he turned back to his friends, who heartily congratulated him. Chazz accepted their cheers with uncharacteristic grace, staying mostly silent as Jaden and Alexis praised his choice of strategy.

He glanced over at Adrian, who was unusually pensive. Tomorrow, he would facing the Cloudian duelist in order to avenge her. Well, he wouldn't really be avenging her, per se, since she didn't really take the loss personally. Still, he entertained the fantasy regardless.

After a few more minutes of conversation, the Duel Academy trio bid Mokuba and Leon goodbye, with Jaden and Mokuba exchanging challenging looks as they passed by. The young students were glad to be out of the arena for the day; it had been seven hours since they first entered. "Well, let's all relax at the hotel for a bit. We can order some food up to our rooms. I can pay for it." Alexis offered graciously.

"Sweet! Just make sure you get an order of sushi on that!" Jaden chirped. "Thank you, Alexis." Chazz said, making eye contact with her. After a moment, she said, "No problem." From there, they hustled through the busy streets back to the Imperial Hotel.

Twenty minutes later, they all had changed into the clothes they would be going to the amusement park in later. Jaden wore a black floral print shirt with khaki shorts, while Chazz donned a white long sleeve with an artistic design running down the arm with jeans. Alexis chose a light blue tank top with white shorts. She enjoyed the reaction her clothing procured from Chazz. The boy's normally pale face was stained with color upon seeing her.

Alexis decided to order breakfast foods for them, despite the fact that it was five in the evening. Jaden didn't complain; he was down for waffles and sushi any time of the day. Chazz smirked at the meal, but ate his eggs without complaint. Alexis even gave him a slice of pineapple, which surely wasn't cheap. He couldn't believe that she was going out of her way to spoil him like this, but this was a damn sight better than eating cheap bodega food again.

Two hours later, they got a map from the hotel lobby and began making their way towards Kaiba Land. The amusement park was a brisk 20-minute walk (or in Jaden's case, a 15-minute run) from their lodgings, and it was downhill from them. When the young duelists caught sight of the park, their breaths were taken away.

The park was awash with multicolored fluorescent lights and people. A ferris wheel slowly spun next to Blue-Eyes White Dragon themed rollercoasters and carousels. In another lot were booths of carnival games and snack stands, with a wooden boardwalk leading down to the beach, where many couples watched the crashing waves.

"Man, that Kaiba really didn't spare any expense, did he?" Chazz smiled. "No, he didn't!" Alexis replied, taking in the colors with wonder. "Woo!" Jaden, forgoing any restraint, ran off to go ride some rollercoasters.

Part of Chazz was glad that Jaden left, because now he was able to spend some quality time with Alexis, who was looking at him expectantly. However, he also had only fleeting ideas on how to "hang out with a girl", as the kids say.

"So…um…how about that local sports team?" Chazz ventured. Alexis laughed. "Let's go ride the teacups, you idiot." She dragged him by the arm to the Kuriboh-themed teacup ride, which was mostly populated by couples and children.

Chazz grumbled, but did not complain as he sat in the contraption with her. After fastening their slightly-too-small seatbelts, the ride began, spinning them round and round.

They both laughed, a fact that surprised Chazz immensely. It seemed that just being around Alexis made him happier.

Meanwhile, Jaden found himself excelling at the various carnival games on the boardwalk. Although he heard from various disgruntled children that the games were rigged, Jaden himself was doing fairly well at them. He already won a Winged Kuriboh plushie from the milk bottles and was now playing horseshoes.

"Aw yeah! I win again!" He whooped as he landed yet another perfectly thrown horseshoe. "Now what do I win?" He excitedly asked the strung-out booth manager.

Massaging his tired eyes, the carnie answered, "Well, since you already won the DVD player and the laptop computer, I guess you can take this Kuriboh hat." For the first time since Kaiba Land's inception, the carnival managers had to order more of the top prizes. Usually, no one ever managed to do as well as Jaden.

"Alright!" Jaden put on the Kuriboh hat, causing no observable change in his hairstyle. "I wonder what other cool rides there are…"

As he pondered this, a gravelly voice sounded behind him. "That was an impressive performance today, Jaden Yuki."

Recognizing who it was, Jaden swiveled around immediately. He saw a man with cobalt hair and steely blue eyes. His tall frame wore a sleek black leather jacket, dark pants, and steel-toed boots. This dark and intimidating figure was completed by the stony frown he wore.

This was Zane Truesdale, formerly considered the King of Obelisk Blue during his tenure at Duel Academy, as well as one of the finest duelists of his generations. He is one of the few who had never lost to Jaden, despite the Slifer's greatest efforts. Jaden used to look at Zane as a goal to surpass, almost a role model in some respects.

That all changed once Zane graduated.

Fresh out of high school, Zane immediately got many lucrative offers from the pro dueling circuit. For the first few months, he did well as a prizefighter. However, after a humiliating defeat at the hands of Aster Phoenix, who wasn't even using his real deck at the time, Zane fell into a downward spiral.

After losing a series of matches, Zane was fired by his agent and forced to find work in the shady underground dueling rings. He dueled in cold metal cages to the pleasure of a darkened criminal audience. Before every duel, he and his opponent were forced to wear bio-electric collars that shocked them every time they took damage, adding a perverse element of sadomasochism to an otherwise benign card game.

It was enough to drive any man mad.

Zane returned to Duel Academy for the Genex Tournament a changed person, and not for the better. His eyes were now perpetually underined with dark circles, and there were rumors that he didn't sleep at all now, although this couldn't possibly be true. He spent the tournament humiliating school students and winning medals before leaving out of boredom.

Before he did so, he dueled and defeated his younger brother Syrus in a painful and degrading duel that hospitalized the younger Truesdale for a few days afterwards. Needless to say, Jaden was hardly pleased to see Zane again.

"Zane! What are you doing here?" Without thinking about it, Jaden's posture grew defensive, and he was ready to run at any moment.

"I merely wished to congratulate you, that's all. Defeating the Wicked Gods is no small feat. Of course, I suspect you'll find tomorrow's matches more challenging, though…" Zane's tone was deceptively casual. "I'm in town for an underground duel, and I had the afternoon off, so I thought I'd see how my little friends from school are doing."

"Don't talk to me like that! I don't want anything to do with you! Just leave me and my friends alone!" Jaden shot back, drawing attention from a few passerby. "So tense! What happened to the carefree Slifer who nearly beat me before?" Zane cackled.

"I should be asking you about changes, Zane. You've changed…a lot." Jaden wondered what happened that caused such a dramatic transformation to his old rival.

"I suppose I have changed a bit…the idea of you nearly beating me as I am now is laughable. You should realize that change is an inevitable part of life. Even you will someday morph into something unrecognizable from your current self, only to look back and wonder what happened." He smirked. Jaden, for his part, shrugged it off. "We can throw down right here if you really want to test that theory." The Slifer replied coolly.

Zane's mocking gaze hardened for a moment, as if he was seriously considering Jaden as a threat. The moment passed, and his eyes were sadistically playful once more. "I think not. I wouldn't want to tire you out before your duel against Mokuba Kaiba tomorrow. Besides, I'll need to leave soon to get to my underground match."

"Excuses, excuses…" Jaden muttered under his breath. Zane laughed. "You have spunk, Jaden. I wonder if you will always be so cheerful…" Like a bat, Zane seemingly melted into the night, and Jaden quickly lost sight of him in the throngs of people. Their interaction as so brief and strange as to be dreamlike- Jaden still wasn't entirely sure what Zane wanted to tell him.

"Maybe I ate a bad hot dog or something…" The boy laughed it off before going on to win another round of carnival games.

Meanwhile, Chazz and Alexis decided to walk down by the beach. After going on one of the Blue-Eyes rollercoasters, their hair was messed about, and their cheeks were red with exhilaration. Chazz's normally styled black hair now had a scruffy, windswept look about it. Part of Alexis' hair was draped over her shoulder, and Chazz moved it out of the way as they walked.

They were both laughing. "You know, for such a normally tough guy, you sure screamed a lot on that rollercoaster!" She teased him playfully with a bump on the shoulder.

His guard down, Chazz laughed openly. "Now as much you, judging by how you were holding onto my arm the entire time…" He teased back, finally gaining a sense of humor in the nighttime. "Oh, please…" She trailed off, looking out at the sea. It was a clear night, and the beach was far enough from the park that many stars could be clearly seen. The moonlight cast a pale glow on both of them, and Chazz knew in some part of his mind that this was his moment.

Caring nothing for the consequences, he leaned in for a kiss. Her hazel eyes widened in surprise, but she gladly reciprocated his affections, kissing him back. Their eyes closed, each of them finding pure bliss in the moment. After nearly fifteen seconds, they broke off, their breathing heavy.

Saying nothing, they walked back to the park. They did not hold hands, and were generally unsure of where they stood now. Still, Chazz knew now that his feelings were at least partially returned by the girl he loved.

The sublime feeling this realization brought him would buoy him for the rest of the summer.

 **A/N**

 **Greetings lovely readers, and thanks for your continued interest in the story!**

 **We finally get to see Chazz in action here, and I had great fun writing this duel. I hope you guys found Torres to be a suitable OC; I thought he would make a good foil for Chazz, kind of like a version of him that won the School Duel and defeated Jaden. I also included a few of Chazz's cards from his manga incarnation, such as the famous Light and Darkness Dragon!**

 **Anyways, it seems that Chazz and Alexis are finally a couple! I always liked them as an item, just because their personalities seemingly both complemented and contrasted each other. If I could change one thing about GX, the first thing I would alter would be changing Chazz from a whimpering beta male in regards to Alexis into a seriously possible romantic partner. The idea of a love triangle between Jaden, Alexis and Chazz would have been a good way to flesh out the characters in my opinion. Jaden ended up in a love triangle, but Chazz and Alexis seemed to have no part of it in the third and fourth seasons.**

 **Next Chapter will feature the showdown between the heir to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Mokuba, versus Jaden, the Hero duelist! I'm pretty pumped about this duel and I hope you are too! I may be a bit late on the update because of increased responsibilities irl, but we'll make it work. Thanks, and have a blessed day.**


	8. We Are All Dragons

**Chapter 8: We Are All Dragons**

The next morning dawned after seemingly an eternity for Chazz, who laid awake all night thinking of Alexis and wondering where they would go from here. As the night sky slowly faded through tones of blue, Chazz rose early and left the hotel room, being careful not to wake either of his friends. He needed to get up and moving to sort through the maze that was currently his mind.

He took a short walk through the city, watching other early risers go about their business as he sat and drank coffee from a park bench. When he returned to the hotel lobby, he grabbed a few bites of complimentary breakfast, noshing on a few spoonfuls of scrambled eggs and a few pieces of toast before returning to his room.

When he got back, he heard the sound of water running, and inferred that someone must be in the shower. Turning to his bed, Chazz quickly packed up all of his belongings, for they would not be returning to the hotel. He couldn't believe that it had only been two days since they arrived at the tournament. Such a rollercoaster of events had happened in such a short time frame, it was hard to believe.

Grabbing his toiletries, Chazz sat on his bed and waited for the shower to vacate. From the other side of the wall, he heard footsteps approach. It was Alexis, who was still wearing her blue lingerie with an overlarge white t-shirt.

"Hey." She greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. "Hey…" He greeted back, a million questions running through his mind. "I know you're probably wondering about why I chose now to finally reciprocate your affections." She said exactly what he himself had been wondering about for the past nine hours.

"It crossed my mind once or twice." He lied. She chuckled, figuring that this statement was probably untrue. "To be honest, it seems like you've really changed, ever since we both were freed from the Light." She said, taking a seat next to him. She was so close that their shoulders were touching.

"I admit, you used to annoy the hell out of me, especially when you started taking relationship advice from my brother. Still, lately, you've changed. I've really started to respect you a lot more…and I really like the way you make me feel." She admitted, unfamiliar with expressing emotions like this.

"Yeah, I know I was a bit…overbearing in the past. I'm sorry about that. It's just that I've never felt this way about anyone else in my entire life. I wasn't sure how to handle it." Chazz said slowly.

'It's fine, Chazz, you're a good guy." She replied with a smile. In the other room, the water stopped running. "You can use the bathroom next." Alexis graciously offered. "Thanks!" He said, giving her a quick kiss before moving to the other room.

He saw Jaden emerging from the bathroom, his kuriboh-esque hair still sopping wet. He wore a black leather jacket over a red t-shirt and jeans, giving him a slightly biker aesthetic. "Chazz! What's up, man?"

Chazz smiled. "Not much, Jaden. Ready to get your ass kicked in the finals today?" He teased. Jaden laughed. "We'll see. I just hope you can get past your semifinal match first."

"Adrian won't know what hit him." Chazz smirked at the prospect of putting his arrogant rival in his place. He strode past Jaden and entered the shower.

When they were all ready, they checked out of the hotel and went on their way towards the Silver Dragon Coliseum for the last time. At the entry way, they saw groups and families signing back in and going to their seats to watch the day's duels. Jaden briefly greeted Haruto Tenma, who wished him good luck in his usual understated way.

In the parking lot, Alexis caught sight of Crowler, who had stepped out of his car in a crisp black three-piece suit and sunglasses with his blonde hair tied in a neat ponytail. Striding over to greet them, he said in his odd contralto, "I heard about the matches, kiddies! Congratulations! This will reflect favorably on the school for sure!"

 _"I swear, that's all this guy can think about…"_ Chazz inwardly chuckled. "Sorry, Professor Crowler, I didn't make it to the semifinals…" Alexis, ever humble, said.

"Oh come now girl, I'll hear none of this modesty! Three Duel Academy students in Top Eight is the best news I've heard this whole year! Hats off to you!" The headmaster was being uncharacteristically positive; his academic conference must have gone well. "I'll be watching in the general seating. Best of luck to you, Mr. Princeton! First the Genex Tournament, then the Grand Championship, eh?"

"Then the world!" Chazz said, a little cocky. Crowler smirked. "I suppose I shall wish that vagrant Yuki a blessing as well." He said with a pompous sigh. "Just make sure you beat him in the finals, Chazz- I couldn't stand to see him hold the first place title."

With another theatrical wave, Crowler bid them goodbye. After he left, Chazz and Aelxis shared a small laugh at their teacher's antics before joining back up with Jaden. In the arena atrium, Mokuba, Leon, and Adrian already stood conversing. Torres had not returned, a fact bemoaned by none.

In a few minutes, they saw the imposing figure of Seto Kaiba in the center of the ring, his crisp voice sounding off to the steadily growing audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to day two of the 13th annual KC Grand Championship! As forerunner of the tournament, I'd like to personally thank you all for your continued attendance. The semi-finals will begin in ten minutes." With that, the Plutonian duelist returned to his personal suite, with Roland replacing him on the ground floor.

Mokuba was wearing a grey Henley with jeans, his messy, short black hair freshly styled. "I gotta say Jaden, I'm truly looking forward to our match. I feel as though there is more to you than meets the eye."

Jaden quizzically cocked an eyebrow. "Nah, what you see is what you get. I'm just a guy who loves having a good time!" He smirked. Mokuba nodded. "I see. I hope facing off against a Blue-Eyes White Dragon is fun enough for your tastes."

"You know, I think it will!" Jaden replied with his usual cavalier demeanor. At that moment, Roland called the two of them out to the ring. "In this corner, the Hero duelist from Central Academy Island, the kid himself, Jaden Yuki!" The audience cheered for the red-clad underdog.

"And in this corner…" Roland said with much more fervor, "The youngest heir to the Kaiba Corporation and the legacy of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Mokuba Kaiba!" The audience's applause was more raucous as well, and Mokuba waved at them with a humble grace.

The holographic projectors revved up, this time taking the audience and the duelists to a rocky, arid desert. The rocks were orange from the sun, which shone like a beacon in the cloudless sky. Sweeping mesas and ravines seemed reminiscent of the Grand Canyon in America.

"I'm ready when you are." Mokuba said with a lopsided grin. "Let's go!" Jaden barked, drawing his five cards with a flourish.

"I'll start by setting one monster and two other face-downs to end my turn." Jaden said quickly. His heart was already pumping a million miles per hour in anticipation of what Mokuba was about to play.

"You seem like a pretty skilled kid, so I hope you don't mind if I go all out from the start. I'll play the **Melody of Awakening Dragon**! By discarding one card from my hand, this card allows me to add two dragons with 3000 or more attack points and 2500 or less defense points from my deck to my hand. I'm sure you guess which cards will be my targets." The Kaiba heir explained while adding two Blue-Eyes White Dragons to his hand.

"Now, I'll activate the spell **Silver's Cry!** This card lets me summon a normal Dragon from the grave!" He continued. "Wait, you don't have any…oh wait." Jaden sputtered. "That's right…I summon **Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!"** Mokuba roared, earning a smile from Seto.

The glorious silver dragon descended from the heavens like a destructive angel, screeching at Jaden. It hovered between two mountains, the sun causing a blinding light to reflect off of its scales. The Slifer Red was quivering with an exquisite mixture of excitement and pure, abject fear. "Awesome!" He murmured.

Chazz was freaking out on the sideline. "No way! This guy's hand is optimal!" "Oh, relax. He only got one Blue-Eyes on the field out of that play, and Jaden has cards set. He could have Mirror Force again." Alexis, ever the voice of reason, replied.

"Blue-Eyes, attack!" Mokuba thrust his hand forward, and a burst of white lightning erupted from the dragon's maw. In mere seconds, Jaden's monster was destroyed instantly before anyone could see what it was, and the red-clad duelist winced at the impact.

"It's all good. Since you destroyed my **Elemental Hero Shadow Mist (1000/1500)** , I get to add a Hero monster from my deck to my hand!" Jaden rebounded, maintaining his composure relatively well in the face of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He quickly shuffled through his deck and drew a Hero before shuffling again.

Mokuba smirked, a hint of his elder brother's arrogance seeping through. "Very well. I'll set a face-down card and summon **Maiden with the Eyes of Blue (0/0)** to the field to end my turn." The pale girl with the sapphire hair appeared in a ghostly glimmer next to the dragon she bore a strange connection to.

"Here we go!" Jaden drew. "I'll start things off my summoning **Elemental Hero Blazeman (1200/1800)** in attack mode!" Jaden's newest hero was a male warrior clad in orange-red armor that covered his entire body and face. From mercurial jet thrusters on his ankles and elbows, a steady stream of flame flew.

"When this guy is summoned, I get to add **Polymerization** to my hand. And now, I'll activate it! I'll fuse together Blazeman on the field with Elemental Hero Wildheart in my hand to summon **Elemental Hero Gaia (2200/2600)**!" From the ground below, another hero tunneled upwards. In a shower of dust, a warrior in weighty brown armor with red nodules emerged.

"He's sure been busting out a lot of new heroes lately…" Chazz grumbled. "Yeah, new Elemental Hero support was released a few months ago during the Society of Light's invasion. For obvious reasons, Jaden never had time to stroll down to the card shop. The new heroes are a great fit for his playstyle though- Gaia in particular is the perfect choice for fighting strong monsters." Alexis explained with a hint of pride.

"Impressive, but you might want to check your math. Gaia's a bit too weak to do much against a Blue-Eyes." Mokuba said. "No, he's not! When Gaia is summoned, I can halve the attack points of one of your monsters and add it to his own until the end of the turn! And I think the perfect choice is that dragon of yours!" Jaden replied boisterously. A red glow drained the Blue-Eyes of its power, and it roared in agony as Elemental Hero Gaia greedily absorbed its energy. Gaia had powered up to 3700 attack points while Mokuba's dragon dropped to a mere 1500.

"Now, let's give that dragon the ol' one-two!" Jaden laughed, mimicking a boxer's stance as he called his attack. Gaia reared one of its mighty fists back before releasing it forward like a spring-loaded projectile, punching the weakened Blue-Eyes into the stratosphere. **(Jaden 4000/Mokuba 1800)**

"Wow, that's quite a way to start off!" Leon said, impressed. Alexis cheered loudly, and everyone knew that Jaden made a strong statement with that opening move. Mokuba was no longer amused; he grimaced in the face of Jaden's new hero. "I'll set two face-downs and pass off to you, friend!" Jaden smiled. His Elemental Hero Gaia returned to its original 2200 attack points.

Mokuba drew. "This is no joke…for a kid, you're extremely skilled. How did you become so powerful?" He asked with a hint of playfulness.

"My cards come from space and are designed to wage intergalactic war against malevolent cosmic entities." Jaden explained, drawing laughter from Mokuba and the audience.

"Oh, of course. How silly of me to ask." Mokuba replied sarcastically. "Perhaps I can pick your brain about that later, but for now, it's time to duel. I'll play **Foolish Burial** to send a monster to the graveyard." Mokuba chuckled while taking an Alexandrite Dragon out of his deck and pitching to the graveyard. "Now, I'll play the spell card **Ancient Rules** , allowing me to specially summon one level five or higher Normal Monster from my hand. I'll choose to play this!"

In another explosion of alabaster light, a creature that bore a strong resemblance to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon unfurled its wings. And yet, it was not the iconic dragon, but merely a distant cousin. It's scales were not the pale blue of its relative, but a shining ivory. "This is the **White Spirit Dragon (2500/2000)**!" Mokuba roared.

Jaden cocked an eyebrow. He was surprised that Mokuba chose not to summon one of the two Blue-Eyes White Dragons in his hand, especially since they were stronger than this new creature. The duelists on the sideline were confused as well. Even Leon was puzzled, as he had never seen this monster before.

"This card is treated as a normal monster in my hand or grave, but it has an effect that activates whenever it hits the field! I can banish one of your spells and traps, and I choose the face-down on your right." Mokuba explained his new monster's effect as his dragon destroyed Jaden's face-down trap with a strident beam of energy.

"Now, attack his Elemental Hero Gaia!" The White Spirit Dragon tore apart Jaden's staunch hero with another blast of power, leaving the Hero duelist defenseless for the time being. Seto Kaiba nodded from above, in approval of Mokuba's move. **(Jaden 3700/Mokuba 1800)**

"Come on Jaden, you can do this!" Alexis cheered again. He spared her a wink and a grin before returning his attention to the match. "I'll start by activating **Terraforming**! This lets me add a field spell from my deck to my hand, and I have the perfect choice!" Jaden added Neo Space to his hand.

"Now, I'll activate my face-down **Call of the Haunted** , letting me summon Blazeman back from the graveyard!" In a flume of heat, the red hero returned to Jaden's side. "That means I can add another Polymerization to my hand. However, that's not the reason I called him back."

Mokuba crossed his arms and smirked throughout this whole explanation; he clearly did not think his monsters could be challenged. Jaden noticed this, and shook his head before continuing. "Blazeman can take on the name of one Elemental Hero from my deck if I choose to send it to the graveyard. I'll have him become… **Elemental Hero Neos**!" Jaden's strategy as coming together beautifully, and many in the audience commented on his skill. Blazeman activated a holographic projector on his wrist, creating an image of Elemental Hero Neos on the field in his place.

"Next, I'll summon **Neo-Spacian Grand Mole (900/300)!"** This particular cartoonish critter was a brown rodent with a drill helmet/collar apparatus around its neck that could cover the mole's entire head when it fully attached together. The creature's silly appearance masked a powerful effect; the ability to return any monster it battles to the owner's hand.

"An impressive display. I wonder what trick you'll pull out of your hat next." Mokuba said haughtily.

"No need for Polymerization this time either! With Neo-Spacians, all I need are the fusion materials on the field. Now, I'll fuse my Neos and Grand Mole to summon **Elemental Hero Grand Neos (2500/2000)**!" In the air, the two monsters fused together in a vortex of rainbow light. Out of the portal emerged a warrior with bulky brown armor and an enormous, heaven-piercing drill in place of a right hand.

"Now, I'll play the field spell **Neo** **Space**!" The field transformed dramatically, the contest being taken to a psychedelic plane of swirling colors and unnatural cosmic lights. There was no longer a perceivable floor, just a solid surface of shifting hues. "Now, all of my Neos monsters gain 500 attack points, and they don't have to return to the deck at the end of the turn." Jaden grinned. The colors glinted off of his brown eyes, causing his irises to look bright gold under the light.

"Man, this card is so trippy…" Chazz had to sit down, having a low tolerance for Neo Space's four-dimensional graphics. Alexis chuckled, while Leon was transfixed at the visuals.

"Say goodbye to that dragon of yours! Grand Neos, use the drill that pierces the heavens!" Jaden shouted. Grand Neos' drill began spinning with a high-pitched whine. It uppercut the White Spirit Dragon into the sky, and the crowd thrilled. Jaden beamed. When he faced the mysterious Blue-Eyes duelist in his dream, he was easily defeated, but now it seemed that the tables were turned. **(Jaden 3700/ Mokuba 1300)**

Mokuba winced once again- the situation was becoming much more dire than he originally anticipated. This Slifer Red boy was pushing him to his dueling limits. _"No… I can't lose here! I won't let my brother down!"_ He thought as he closed his eyes. _"What was that Yugi always said…believe in the heart of the cards? Well, that's what I've gotta do!"_

The younger Kaiba drew with an extraordinary focus, hoping against hope that he could turn this thing around. Opening his eyes, he was highly pleased at what he drew. "I activate **Hand Destruction**! Now, we each discard two cards, then draw two!"

Jaden smiled; since he had no cards in his hand, he basically got to draw two for free. However, clearly Mokuba had a plan in mind. Jaden noticed that he sent his two other Blue-Eyes to the graveyard.

"Now, it's time to show you the true power of the Kaiba name! I activate **Dragon's Mirror**!" Mokuba bellowed. A tower of shining white light broke through the field spell's colorscape with a deafening crash.

"Oh, this is not good…" Jaden grimaced, chuckling a little in the face of an overwhelming challenge. Mokuba's blue eyes glinted as the light morphed into the distinctive silver-blue hydra. "Come forth, **Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800)**!" The three-headed dragon screeched at the sound of its name before turning its hate-filled eyes upon Jaden.

"Jaden's gonna need a miracle to get past that!" Leon said while shielding his eyes from the blinding light. "Heroes perform miracles every day; that's why they are called heroes." Alexis cleverly retorted. "Still, this is no ordinary monster…it's one of the strongest in the game!" Chazz clenched his teeth. How would Jaden get out of this one?

"Attack with Triple White Lightning!" Mokuba's voice echoed across the coliseum as the dragon charged up beams of pure light energy to obliterate its foe. Jaden smirked- he wouldn't go down as easily as he did in his dream. "I activate **Mirror Force**!" The Slifer Red desperately hoped that the common trap card would help him out of this bind.

Mokuba's eyes glinted with wrath. "Your cheap tricks won't work on me! I chain **Wiretap**! This counter trap allows me to negate your trap's activation and sends it back to the deck!" He shouted over the crackling electricity of the dragon's blast.

Jaden's eyes widened, and felt true trepidation for the first time all match. "Damn!" Jaden cursed as the dragon's fire crashed into his alien warrior. **(Jaden 2200/ Mokuba 1300)**

"Pack it up, boys. This one's over." Adrian laughed sarcastically, shaking his head at Jaden's dire predicament. "I wonder how I'll fare against those dragons in the finals…"

Chazz perked up when he heard this arrogant assumption. He turned to face his soon-to-be opponent, his ash-grey eyes narrowed. _"You won't get that far...punk."_ He thought with a nasty sneer. Alexis looked between the two men, surprised that Chazz did not retort with his infamously acid tongue. However, she soon turned back to the match.

Jaden frantically ran through his short list of options in his mind. "C'mon, guys! I need to do something!" With only Bubbleman in his hand, things were looking bleak. "I draw!" As Jaden slowly picked up his next card in an ever-dwindling deck, the whole world seemed to still.

Then, his face broke into boyish glee. "Yes! I activate **Fifth Hope**!" Like a swelling chorus, the crowd's energy built back up. "This card lets me shuffle five Elemental Heroes from my graveyard back into my deck, and then I get to draw two more cards!"

Chazz laughed. "Always getting lucky breaks…" "That's our Jaden!" Alexis chuckled, wrapping an arm around Chazz's broad shoulder. Jaden took out five heroes and returned them to the deck. Taking a deep breath, he drew his next two cards, trusting completely in his cards.

"I'll set one monster and one card face-down and end my turn. Your move, Mokuba. Show me the full power of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Jaden passed turn with his usual buoyancy.

Mokuba regarded the boy suspiciously. _"He never seems to get nervous, even when he's on the verge of defeat. If this was a friendly, no-stakes match, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference! We'll see how he smiles once I defeat him this turn!"_ He thought with a hint of spite.

"Very well! This match is over, Jaden Yuki! I summon **Luster Dragon (1900/1600)** to the field in attack mode." Onto the Kaiba scion's field appeared a tranquil dragon covered in sapphire-blue scales. Impressive though it was, it appeared to be a mere gnat in the presence of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

"Destroy his last line of defense, Luster Dragon!" Mokuba relentlessly sicced his monster upon Jaden, and within moments, a gem-encrusted claw was upon the Slifer's monster.

Jaden's card flipped up to reveal a furry puffball with cute cartoon eyes and angelic wings. It was **Winged Kuriboh (300/200),** Jaden's spiritual familiar. The Kuriboh squealed in pain before disappearing from the field.

"Thanks for saving me, buddy." Jaden thanked his card in a rare moment of solemnity. "Since he was destroyed in battle, my Winged Kuriboh prevents me from taking battle damage for the rest of the turn!" A glowing halo of energy surrounded Jaden's slim frame as he explained his monster's effect.

Mokuba ticked, a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead. The Blue-eyes Ultimate Dragon's breathing was shallow, and it seemed that Mokuba could barely control the impressive creature. "I'll end there then…" He said in a deep murmur.

 _"Alright! Come on Jaden, you've only got one more shot…"_ He psyched himself up before taking his next turn. "I'll start my turn off my activating my face-down trap **Fusion Reserve**! By revealing a fusion monster from my extra deck, I can add one of its materials from my deck to my hand! Then, I can get back a Polymerization as well!"

"There's no fusion monster you can pull out of your little bag of tricks that can save you from my monster!" Mokuba added snidely. "We'll see. By revealing Elemental Hero Plasma Vice, I can add Elemental Hero Bladedge to my hand." Jaden responded with, grabbing another card out of his diminishing deck.

"Now, I play **Foolish Burial,** allowing me to send a monster from the deck to the graveyard **!** I'll choose Elemental Hero Necroshade." Jaden explained, pitching another card.

"I can't keep track of all these damn heroes…" Mokuba chuckled. "All you have to remember is this; when Necroshade is in the graveyard, I can normal summon a level 5 or higher hero from my hand without any tributes! That means you can finally meet my good pal **Elemental Hero Bladedge (2600/1800)**!"

Jaden's new champion was a futuristic Spartan, fully clad in shining golden armor with sharp blades protruding from various points on his body. "Now, I'll attack that little Luster Dragon you set out for me! Bladedge, slice em up!" The chrome warrior obliged with a silent nod, ripping apart the crystal dragon with ease. **(Jaden 2200/ Mokuba 600)**

"Only 600 life points left! Jaden's nearly got him!" Alexis said hopefully. "So close and yet so far…if only there was a way he could get past that damn dragon…" Chazz grit his teeth in response.

"I set one card face-down. Now that I have no other cards in my hand, I can specially summon **Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200)** in defense mode." Jaden's aquatic hero had come clutch many times during the tourney, and now it was serve as a last line of defense against the seemingly unbeatable Blue-Eyes.

 _"This is just like my dream…in fact, there hardly seems to be any difference between that vision last year and what is happening right now. It's true then…Duel Monsters can make my dreams become reality!"_ Jaden's eyes glinted in the sunlight, and any observer would say that they were shaded a hint of gold instead of their usual chocolate brown.

"You're one of the strongest duelists I've faced yet, Jaden. Only my older brother, Yugi Moto, and Joey Wheeler have ever pushed me this far. But at last, this duel has come to an end." Mokuba intoned as the Ultimate Dragon charged up one last laser to annihilate Jaden's heroes. "Blue-Eyes, finish him!"

 _"The only difference is this time I'm going to win!"_ Jaden thought with manic confidence. "I still have one last card to play, Mokuba! Go, **Edge Hammer**!" Jaden roared in a supreme moment of pure victory.

"Yes!" Chazz and Alexis shouted , startling Adrian and Leon. They knew what the card did, so they already knew that the match was as good as done.

"When Bladedge is on the field, this card lets me destroy a monster and deal damage to you equal to its attack points!" As Jaden explained the power of his card, the crowd revved up further and further, until his voice was completely drowned out in their fervor.

Mokuba's eyes widened further and further as Elemental Hero Bladedge rose into the air, surrounded by a black aura of dark energy. With a mighty chop, the warrior sliced apart the previously thought unbeatable creature. The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon let out a baleful screech of vengeance as it died at long last. **(Jaden 2200/ Mokuba 0)**

The youngest Kaiba brother closed his eyes in regret; he only wanted to impress his older brother and prove his worth. Knowing that he wouldn't even be making an appearance in grand finals sent a chill of inadequacy through him. Glancing up at the top box, Mokuba met his brother's eye. As per usual, he had no idea what Seto was thinking. He would hopefully talk with him later.

The crowd gave raucous applause to both players, and the noise caused Mokuba to snap back to reality. Jaden strode over to him, offering a friendly handshake in recognition of his skill.

"That was an amazing match! We'll have to play again sometime! You're still a bit rough around the edges, but it's clear you have strong skils." Jaden pulled a spare slip of paper out of his pocket and wrote his phone number on it. Mokuba numbly took it; although he was slightly better at handling defeat than his brother, he still was a bit of a sore loser.

"Yeah…good game, man." Was all he managed to say. Jaden nodded at him before walking back to his friends. Mokuba immediately made his way up to the top box to speak with his brother. The youngest Kaiba hoped desperately that he hadn't lost favor in his brother's eyes.

Alexis gave Jaden a fierce hug when he returned to the sidelines, ruffling his windswept brown hair. "That was some amazing play, Jay!" She congratulated heartily. Chazz clapped him on the back as well, the Ojama duelist's heart blazing in excitement.

"Jaden Yuki has emerged victorious over Mr. Kaiba!" roland announced with a hint of bitterness. "He will go on to the grand finals and the possibility of the million yen cash prize!"

"Oh yeah, there's a cash prize! I almost forgot!" Jaden chuckled. Chazz grinned hungrily- winning that million yen meant that he could finally climb out of the hole of poverty his brothers landed him in. He would finally be able to be his own man, without relying on anyone else for support. Having to opportunity to finally defeat Jaden Yuki was merely a bonus.

Alexis gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You're up next. Make sure to watch out for those Cloudians." She told him quickly.

"Oh, I will." He smirked before turning to Adrian, who was already fastening his coat and strapping on his duel disk. With a cold glare, he issued a nonverbal challenge to the fallen Princeton- win here now, or else you will miss your one shot at greatness.

At the sound of Roland's announcement, Chazz moved out, ready to shock the world.

 **A/N**

 **Greetings, lovely reader, and thank you for your continued interest in the story!**

 **The duel between Jaden and Mokuba was quite fun to write, and I enjoyed making some callbacks to Episode 34 of the anime. Jaden fared much better against the Blue-Eyes this time, although this can be attributed to Mokuba's competitive inexperience and a fair amount of luck on Jaden's part as well. I hope you all enjoyed the match!**

 **Next chapter will feature the long-awaited match between Adrian and Chazz! I wonder if it will turn out differently than its canon counterpart? Stay tuned for the next installment of Coliseum!**

 **By the way, not that it's super important or anything but today is my one-year anniversary writing fanfics! Pretty cool to look back and see how far I've already come in my journey on this sit, and how far I'll continue going in the future. Thank you all for your readership over this past year :)**


	9. Storm Riders

**Chapter 9: Storm Riders**

Mokuba scrambled up the stands to the top box, where his older brother Seto was sitting to observe the matches. Striding at a quick pace, the younger man practically flung the door open to Seto's private chamber. The security guards behind the door tensed at the sudden entrance, but once they recognized who it was, they backed off.

Seto turned his calculating blue irises towards his younger brother's similarly colored, but much less confident, eyes. For a moment, nothing was said between them.

"Why don't you pull up a seat, Mokuba. I'll have drinks ordered." Seto's bland voice rung through the silence. Mokuba was momentarily startled. He had come in expecting an admonishment for failing to make the finals.

Tenatively, he plopped down on an expensive plush armchair. One of Seto's servants brought them refreshments- Mokuba had a hot cup of coffee, while Seto was served a glass of cool brandy.

Seto calmly took a sip of the alcoholic beverage, surveying the field as Chazz and Adrian began to walk out. Unable to contain himself any longer, Mokuba blurted, "Aren't you mad at me? I lost to a Duel Academy student!"

Seto chuckled before setting down his glass on the hardwood coffee table. "Of course not. I've lost in the semi-finals of a major tournament before as well, you'll recall."

Mokuba grimaced, remembering his brother's epic match against Yugi in the semi-finals of the Battle City tournament. Although it was arguably the finest game the two duelists had ever played, it ended in Yugi's miraculous victory.

"Everyone loses sometimes. You played well for your first major tournament, kid. Just be prepared for next time." Seto affected a nonchalant tone and returned to his viewing of the incoming match.

Mokuba grinned. "You've mellowed out a bit since then, big bro!" He lightly punched his brother on the arm. Seto genuinely smiled. "Maybe I have…"

Down on the arena floor, Chazz and Adrian were shuffling their decks. Chazz glared at Adrian the whole time, while Adrian merely wore his usual expression of boredom mixed with amusement.

"It seems I'll be defeating all three of the Central Academy students today. This will be a good opportunity to test the limits of this deck's power." Adrian sneered.

Something about the wording of that sentence perked Chazz's attention. "Surely you don't mean that this isn't your main deck?" He decided to ask.

"It is." Adrian replied. "The Cloudians have served me well over the years, for sure. However, their limits are painfully clear. The deck is hopelessly mundane. I yearn for something more…mythical."

Chazz frowned- this was beginning to sound odd. "What do you mean…mythical?"

"I've heard the rumors- that the Sacred Beasts are hidden underneath the Central Duel Academy grounds!" Adrian's grin was manic, and the audience could only guess what the two rivals were talking about. "Kaiba tried to hide it from the public, but something's fishy there. There seems to be no shortage of mystery surrounding your school. Why, in the last year I saw a picture of the Obelisk Blue dorm painted all white. Now why do you suppose that would be, Chazz?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Chazz retorted a little too quickly, causing Adrian's smile to widen even further. "Of course not. This will be our little secret, Chazz. There will be plenty of time to learn such things later, after I've defeated both you and Jaden Yuki."

"Dream on, punk!" Chazz snarled, drawing his first five cards.

Adrian gently chuckled. "I'll begin by summon **Cloudian-Cirrostratus (900/0)** in attack mode." The rabbit-cloud popped onto the field with a poof. "Next, I'll play **Cloudian Squall**. This, as I'm sure you're aware, places a fog counter on ever monster on the field during my standby phase. Now, I'll set one face-down and end my turn." He calmly played his cards, clearly having worked out a strategy in his mind already.

"That's the same garbage you played last time!" Chazz trash-talked, "First, I'll play **Frontline Base**! Now in addition to my normal summon, I can play a Union monster each turn from my hand!"

"Now, I'll summon **V-Tiger Jet (1600/1800)**!" A yellow mech with the build of a jungle cat jet onto the field. It had glowing red eyes and green retractable wings. "With my Frontline Base, I can also summon **W-Wing Catapult (1300/1500)!"** Joining Chazz were two bulky blue rocket thrusters, each with small wings and drag fins on their sides.

"Now, I'll join my two machines together to summon **VW-Tiger Catapult (2000/2100)**!" The two mechs joined together to create a tiger assault fighter that floated in the air like a drone.

"Aw, now your little toys have combined! How childish." Adrian sneered.

"You can say what you want about my monsters, just don't get mad when you're out of the tournament! I'll use my Tiger Catapult's effect now! By discarding a card from my hand, I can change the battle position of one of your monsters! And as I recall, your Cloudians can't be in defense mode, can they?" Chazz laughed.

An electromagnetic wave washed over Adrian's cloud, causing it to dissapate into harmless water molecules. "Smart stuff! That lets him destroy those Cloudians really easily! I knew he would have a plan!" Alexis beamed proudly, her hazel eyes glinting in the morning light.

"And that's not all! I discard **Ojamagic** to use my Catapult's effect, and when that card is sent to the graveyard, I can add the three Ojama brothers to my hand!" Smirking, Chazz added his reliable, if annoying, familiars to his hand.

Adrian nodded, as if he expected this much. "An amusing first play." He said. "VW-Tiger Catapult, attack his life points directly!" Chazz roared. Unleashing a full salvo of missiles, the tiger jet bombed Adrian's field. **(Chazz 4000/Adrian 2000)**

"Yeah, there you go, Chazzy!" Alexis cheered, the impromptu nickname causing Chazz much embarrassment. Jaden chuckled, before yelling facetiously, "Chazzaroo is the best!"

"I swear, all I want to do is look badass, and yet the universe conspires against me…" The black-haired boy murmured under his breath as Adrian laughed.

"I'll begin my turn so as to save you any further embarrassment, dear Chazzy…" Adrian quipped, but internally, he was already concerned about this matchup. Chazz was clearly a hungry and aggressive player, in contrast to the more cautious Alexis. He would have to play carefully, or he would lose next turn.

"Now that it's my turn, Cloudian Squall places a fog counter on every monster on the field." Adrian methodically looked through his hand, selecting his next strategy with rigid finesse.

I'll set a monster face-down and set one card on the field. That will be all for my turn." He said mechanically.

"If so, then this will be even easier than I thought!" Chazz cackled. "I'll discard Ojama Green from my hand to activate my Tiger Catapult's effect and turn your monster into attack mode!"

"Not so fast!" Adrian countered. "I play **Fiendish Chain**! This trap card allows me to target an effect monster and prevent it from attacking or using its powers!" As he said this, cursed purple chains erupted form the ground and wrapped around Chazz's mech, keeping it from moving.

Cursing, Chazz set a card face-down and passed turn. " _I can't let him have any room to breathe, or else he'll find a way to strike back!"_ He thought frantically.

Adran drew quickly. "Nice! That one turn was all I needed. First, I sacrifice my set monster to summon **Cloudian-Nimbusman (1000/1000)**!" A burst of steam blew from the ground before coalescing and forming into a vaguely humanoid shape. Something about the monster's childlike appearance was vaguely unsettling for some reason to Chazz.

"Nimbusman gains a fog counter since I sacrificed a water monster to summon him. And since he gains 500 attack points for every fog counter on the field, that's bad news for you, Chazz!" Adrian tilted his glasses upwards as his monster grew in size, its attack points reaching 2500 in the blink of an eye.

"I see…that must be how he was planning on taking down the Blue-Eyes…" Leon noted, wondering where Mokuba had gone off to.

"Nimbusman, destroy his Tiger Catapult!" A tornado of smoke and mist blew from Numbusman's arm, rusting the Tiger jet. Chazz flinched at the life point damage. **(Chazz 3500/Adrian 2000)**

"There's only one problem with your strategy- now that my Tiger Catapult is gone, two fog counters are off the field, meaning that your monster is now down to only 1500 points!" Chazz pointed out, feeling very pleased with himself.

"Indeed. I wonder how you'll fare now." Adrian replied, cool as ever.

Chazz growled. "Stop talking down to me! I won't stand for some upper-class punk like you look down on me, when I've had to rise up through the mud to get to where I am today!" He said fiercely.

Annoyance flit across Adrian's face. "I really don't care about your past, Princeton. I prefer to think of the future, as you should. Now make your move." The Gecko scion had a dark past of his own, but he had no interest in flaunting it before such a wide audience of people.

"Gladly!" Chazz responded. "First, I'll play **Fiend's Sanctuary**! This spell card allows me to summon one **Metal Fiend Token (0/0)** to my side of the field!" On the ground, a pool of liquid silver formed at Chazz's feet. Gurgling and bubbling, it transformed itself into the shape of a vaguely humanoid doll.

"Now, I sacrifice the Metal Fiend Token to summon **Armed Dragon LV 5 (2400/1500)**!" Spinning rapidly, the metal fiend token disappeared in a flash of light. Swooping down to the battlefield was a plump dragon with red and black scales. Adorned with spikes and a menacing expression, the dragon was a respectable creature indeed.

"Trap card activate! **Ojama Trio**!" Chazz's combo continued, and now it was the three Ojama brothers who were joining his side. The yellow, black, and green gremlins leapt over to Adrian's side of the field, sticking their tongues at him all the while.

"Not these things again…" Adrian sighed in disdain. "That's right! They may be weak, annoying, and disgusting, but the Ojamas are the heart and soul of my deck! Now, Armed Dragon, destroy one of the Ojama tokens with serrated sonic slicer!"

With a increasingly high-pitched whine, the armed dragon's claws glowed with blue energy. With a mighty swipe, it unleashed a blue crescent of energy at the Ojama Green token. Although the token cried out in pain, it also gave Chazz a thumbs-up before disappearing.

"And every time one of those things bites it, I take 300 damage…" Adrian grimaced. **(Chazz 3500/Adrian 1700)**

"That's right! And now that my attack is over, I'll use my Armed Dragon's effect! If I discard a monster from my hand, I can destroy one monster with attack equal to or less than its attack points. And the monster I choose is Ojama Yellow, allowing me to destroy another Ojama Token!" Chazz said triumphantly as the Ojama Black token on Adrian's field exploded. **(Chazz 3500/Adrian 1400)**

Jaden watched the strategy unfold intently _. "Chazz is playing out of his mind…but Adrian still seems so unflappable. I took for granted that Chazz would win this match, but I can never be too sure."_ He thought.

"Finally, since my Armed Dragon destroyed a monster by battle this turn, I can evolve it to the next level of power!" As Chazz's voice boomed across the stadium, a light green glow shone from within the portly Armed Dragon. Its scales hardened and grew sharp as its frame sprouted tall and lean. As its evolution completed, the dragon stood nearly twenty feet tall.

"Meet **Armed Dragon LV 7 (2800/1400)**!" Chazz ended his turn with his glorious ace monster standing behind him. Covered in shining metal blades and titular armor, it was a fearsome sight to the audience.

"You're really fighting with all of your strength…" Adrian grumbled. "What did you expect?" Chazz responded sardonically. "Hah, nothing else I suppose. Now I will finally go all out as well!" Adrian shouted.

"Stop talking and just make your move, prep school punk!" Chazz snapped.

"Your insults are grade-school level. However, your skills are rather advanced. You have good fundamentals, and enough skill to pull off some decently tricky moves. However, there's only one way this can end, and it's with you looking like a bitch in front of the entire nation."

Chazz chuckled, a vein throbbing in his right temple. "Ooh, scathing. You practice that one in front of the mirror? I said make your move."

Adrian's glasses glinted. "Fine, I will grant your request. Now that it's my turn, Cloudian Squall activates again, meaning my Nimbusman and your dragon get a fog counter, boosting Nimbusman to 2500 attack points." Adrian pressed on.

"Now, I'll summon another Cloudian- Cirrostratus!" The familiar rabbit cloud puffed onto the field once more, much to Chazz's chagrin. "And it gets better, since Cirrostratus gains a fog counter for each Cloudian on the field, giving it two! Now that there are five counters on the field, Nimbusman's attack points rise to 3500!" As Adrian spoke, Nimbusman grew larger and larger, until it finally towered over Armed Dragon, still wearing that same infantile expression.

"This is bad!" Chazz grimaced. "How quickly the tables turn! Now, I remove one fog counter from your dragon and one from my Cirrostratus to destroy your pathetic dragon!" As Adrian continued his combo, swirls of mist began to curl around the Armed Dragon, engulfing it completely in its mysterious fog.

"Oh no!" Alexis gasped. "The only downside to this is that my Nimbusman is back down to 2500 attack points, but no matter! Both of my monsters will attack you directly!" Adrian finished his move with a devastating assault on Chazz's life points, dragging him from a comfortable lead to the brink of defeat. **(Chazz 100/ Adrian 1400)**

"C'mon, Chazz! You can do this!" Alexis continued to cheer in spite of the seemingly hopeless situation. "I would have never thought that such a turnaround was possible…" Leon murmured.

Jaden said nothing, watching and waiting with none of his characteristic exuberance.

Chazz slowly dragged himself to his feet after being knocked down by Adrian's fierce attack. His black trenchcoat that had served him so well was frayed and torn at the edges. Dirt dusted his well-worn jeans, and his sweat-stained face was screwed up in frustration. Adrian, on the other hand, seemed untouchable by comparison.

"You worried? Seems like after all that talk, you're going to get your ass kicked by the same monsters you've spent this whole tournament taking the piss out of. How you could insult my monsters while playing Ojamas is beyond me. Poetic justice really is a harsh mistress if you're on her bad side, hmm?" The russet-haired duelist said with a lopsided grin.

Chazz balled his hands into fists. "Don't think…just because you got in one lucky strike…that you are better than me! I am the lightning that will herald the end of this storm!" Chazz said perhaps a little bombastically. "I can still turn this thing around!"

Drawing what could be his final card of the tournament, Chazz grit his teeth in determination. "Let's do this! I'll start by playing the field spell **Ojama Country**!" The arena around them terraformed into a grassy plain, the landscape dotted with strangely small houses and buildings, certainly not tall enough for humans to inhabit.

"And what does this field spell do?" Adrian asked, always hungry for information. "Nothing…yet!" Chazz laughed.

"What's this? Another one of your jokes?" Adrian smirked. Chazz smiled, not taking the bait for a change. "That's right. Unfortunately, you're the punchline! Now, I summon **Ojama Blue (0/1000)**!" A short gremlin with slanted eyes and azure skin flipped onto the field with a cheeky laugh.

"Now, the finale begins! In Ojama Country, whever an Ojama monster is on the field, the attack and defense points of all our monsters are switched! And those Cloudians don't have any defense points, do they?" Chazz's sharp voice cut through his monster's shenanigans. Adrian gasped, as his monsters were now sitting ducks with zero and 1000 defense points each.

 _"Damn, no way! He capitalized on my monster's greatest weakness…their lack of defense! This guy's more troublesome than I thought…"_ Adrian ticked, growing more and more worried.

"Ojama Blue, attack his Cirrostratus now!" Chazz's servant jumped into the air with a Bruce Lee-style yell before kicking Adrian's cloud in its face. Although its effect prevented it from being destroyed by battle, Adrian still took a hefty blow to his remaining life points. **(Chazz 100/Adrian 400)**

"Wow! This one's going down to the wire!" Leon said, rapt in attention. "That was ingenious strategy! And to make it better, Adrian can't switch his Cloudians to defense mode or else they'll be destroyed by their own effects!" Alexis' eyes were wide, appreciating Chazz's shrewd play. Jaden nodded in agreement.

"Now, I'll play **Mystical Space Typhoon** to destroy your Cloudian Squall, preventing you from gaining any more Fog Counters! Then, I'll play one face-down and end my turn." Chazz's nerves were taut in anticipation- the next move would surely decide everything.

Adrian seemed to realize this as well, and planned his next move with paralyzed trepidation. When he drew his next card, he exhaled in unmistakable relief.

"That was a shrewd strategy, Princeton, but I'm afraid I'm one step ahead! I sacrifice my Cirrostratus and Nimbusman to summon **Cloudian- Eye of the Typhoon (2000/3000 (reversed because of Ojama Country))**

Dark clouds pregnant with sleet and rain obscured the sun, and gale-force winds whipped up out of nowhere, rippling Chazz's trenchcoat. In the sky, a single orange eye stared unflinchingly at the surface below, surrounded by puffy clouds.

Ojama Blue let out a cartoonish screech, its thin fingers scrabbling on the ground to avoid being blown away by the storm.

"Finish him, my monster!" Miniature tornadoes touched down, racing inexorably towards the helpless Ojama.

"Reverse card open! **Negate Attack**!" A vortex of lightning materialized in front of Ojama Blue, who gave Chazz an appreciative thumbs-up. The winds died down slightly, and Adrian was forced to end the battle phase.

"That was too close!" Jaden chuckled in relief. "Adrian still has one Ojama Token on his field, so if Chazz destroys that, Adrian will be down to 100 points…" Alexis furiously analyzed the situation, seeing what Chazz could do from this situation.

"Who do you think will win, brother?" Mokuba leaned over and asked Seto in the top box. "It seems it will come down to the one with the most willpower." Seto replied with a hint of amusement.

Chazz's hair whipped about in the wind, nearly pointing straight up. His grey eyes, normally empty, were alight in determination. It would all depend on this. "Draw!"

"This will be my final move, one way or another. I activate **Fusion Recovery** , allowing me to add Polymerization and one fusion material monster form the grave to my hand. I'll bring back Ojama Yellow." Chazz said, bringing his familiar back to his side.

"And now-" Needing no further explanations, Chazz activated Polymerization, the card's effect showing up on the stadium's larger screens. "I fuse Ojama Blue and Ojama Yellow!"

Both monsters appeared in midair. Ojama Blue disappeared into a light blue aura, while Ojama Yellow was undergoind a mysterious transformation. From seemingly nowhere, shining silver armor attached itself to his body piece by piece, with holes in the helmet to accommodate his unusual eyes.

"Meet **Ojama Knight**! **(2500/0) (reversed by Ojama Country)** " Chazz's armored Ojama held a sword slightly bent and a little too large. Still, it would certainly get the job done. "Let's go, boss!" Ojama Yellow's high-pitched squeal echoed from within its armor. Adrian was agape; he clearly never thought that he could truly have been beat by Chazz.

"When this monster is summoned, I can render two of your monster zones unusable. However, I'm sure that's the last thing on your mind." Chazz smirked; his victory, although it was hard-earned, was now assured.

"I-impossible…this shouldn't be happening!" Adrian stammered in disbelief. "Who cares about what _should_ be happening? There is no _should_ or _could_ on this battlefield. There is only victory, or in your case, defeat. Ojama Knight, attack his Cloudian now." Was Chazz's cold, unflinching response.

"Gotcha, boss!" Ojama Knight leapt into the air, its sword glinting. With a mighty vertical slash, Adrian's enormous tornado was split straight in two. The two cleanly bisected halves floated in midair for a moment before exploding in a rush of barometric pressure. The Ojama Knight landed on the ground, raising its sword triumphantly in the air before disappearing in a cybernetic flash of rainbow light. **(Chazz 100/Adrian 0)**

"There you have it. The fighter with the most willpower won." Kaiba said, holding his hand out at the coliseum before him. Mokuba nodded slowly in understanding.

Adrian quivered in rage for a moment, but quickly recollected himself. _"This…is troublesome. But still, it does not affect my goals. I will still, one way or another, become king of not only this world, but all worlds. Let Chazz Princeton have his victory this time. They will all bow soon enough, and he will be the first to kneel when the time comes."_ He thought, his ambitions far greater than winning a mere tournament _. "Still, my own skills will need to improve before I can take on the likes of Hell Kaiser or Aster Phoenix…"_

Chazz, on the other hand, was exultant; he raised his fist in the air to tumultuous applause from the audience, who appreciated such a close and intense game.

Jaden, Alexis, and Leon stood and clapped for their friend, with Alexis being the most vocal in her congratulations. When Chazz reached the sidelines, she nearly threw him off of his feet with a hug. "You did awesome, I knew you could do it!" She said into his shoulder.

Although he blushed intensely, Chazz managed to keep his cool. "I couldn't have done it without your support." Before, he never thought that he would say such things, but he hardly cared now. When she was in his embrace, Chazz cared about nothing else.

Leon, scratching his head, looked around for something else to pay attention to, feeling as though he was intruding on a private moment. Jaden smiled, glad to see his two friends so happy together. However, his gladness was outweighed by a mounting sense of excitement. He couldn't wait to test his skills against this seemingly reinvented Chazz.

Chazz felt the same way. After Alexis let him go, he looked at Jaden, his face inscrutable. _"At last…you will no longer haunt me, Jaden Yuki. I'm a new man, a man who is not anyone's second! Today, I will finally defeat you!"_ He thought fiercely, the light of competition burning in his slate grey eyes.

 **A/N**

 **Greetings lovely readers, and thank you for reading the ninth chapter of Coliseum! I admit I waited to post this chapter on the Leap Year day, just because that sort of opportunity doesn't come around too often.**

 **As we all know, when Adrian and Chazz dueled in canon, it ended with yet another humiliating defeat for the Ojama duelist. As if his win/loss record wasn't bad enough already. However, this version of Chazz, who takes characterization from both his anime and manga counterparts, was able to come out with the big W. This duel was also to show how far this story's interpretation of Chazz has come as both a duelist and a person. Still, it was a close match and I think I did both Chazz and Adrian justice.**

 **Next chapter will be the grand finale of the tournament, where Jaden and Chazz will have their ultimate rematch! I'll see you all next chapter, have a blessed day.**


	10. The Terminal

**Chapter 10: The Terminal**

Both of them barely heard Roland's announcement of the final match and Alexis' cheers. Each of them walked out to the arena perfectly in step, lining up exactly twenty paces across from each other.

Two duelists, possibly the two strongest fighters to ever come out of Duel Academy, unblinkingly stood face to face. A current of electricity ran through the crowd, the spectators acknowledging the weight of the moment by remaining silent.

On one side, with his back to the rising sun; was the red-clad hero duelist; his bright crimson muscle shirt and bronze skin nearly shining with youthful energy. His face was friendly, but experienced and battle-toughened. His posture was open and his arms were poised at his sides, ready to duel.

"I've been looking forward to a real rematch with you for a long time. You're a fierce opponent; I've always enjoyed our previous matches." Jaden Yuki complimented.

Across from him was the man in black, his dark clothes contrasting with his pale skin. His angular features were taut and intensely focused, his grey eyes were slanted, and his mouth curved into a stoic frown. Unlike Jaden, he could not bring himself to relax.

"You'll find that things have changed. This time, I will be the one who emerges victorious." Was all that Chazz Princeton could say. Although he no longer despised Jaden as he once did, the idea of wiping that smile off of his face still injected poisonous pleasure into his veins.

Jaden laughed. "I guess we'll see if you have it in you. Just know that I won't be going easy on ya." He teased.

"Oh, I would hope not. If you come at me with anything less than the peak of your abilities, you will lose immediately." Chazz shot back, all in good fun, or so he told himself.

Jaden's eyebrows rose at this, but he had no time to retort, as Roland had begun to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the final round of the 11th annual KC Grand Championship! Today, two upstarts from Central Duel Academy will facing off for the grand prize of one million yen and the opportunity to design heir very own card! In this corner, we have the Elemental Hero user Jaden Yuki, who has battled Wicked Gods and Blue-Eyes White Dragons in his journey to the top!"

The audience applauded Jaden, whose theatrical dueling style appealed to them. "And in the opposite corner, we have Chazz Princeton, a duelist who draws from many different kinds of monsters to create one unique and powerful dueling deck! Give this young man a hand, everyone!" Roland called, and the audience obliged with pleasure.

Sensing the anticipation from both competitors, Roland began moving out of their way. "Without any further ado, let the Grand Finals begin!" He announced.

Up in the top box, Seto looked appraisingly at Mokuba. "I find this Hero duelist to be the more impressive combatant." He said frankly.

Mokuba nodded in agreement. "Chazz is pretty good, but there's _something_ about Jaden. He and his cards work in such effortless tandem; it's almost like some kind of destiny. I haven't seen that kind of dueling since Yugi in his prime." The younger man claimed from firsthand experience.

"This is true. However, it seems Jaden and Chazz are schoolyard rivals. Perhaps this match is not unwinnable for Chazz." Kaiba said, considering all possibilities.

"Sure. Still, he seems like a fish fighting to swim upstream. He tries, but I don't think he can make it." Mokuba said with a hint of pity.

"I hope you aren't talking about fate. Only the weak-minded believe in such lies. There is no order but that created by the strong; you'll recall that it was our destiny to be wards of the state, growing up in that damn orphanage. Look at us now- this coliseum was built with our hands alone! There is no certainty in a duel and one draw can change everything, Mokuba. It is a chaotic song, and those who learn to dance with it write their own music and establish their own order. Right now, Chazz Princeton is the one who wishes to establish his own order, even though the Hero duelist is stronger. Whether that will be enough will decide this match." Although he had settled down some as he grew older, Seto's propensity for speeches had never quite dulled. Mokuba almost wanted to write his brother's words down and publish them in a book's foreword.

Meanwhile, in the arena, a quick rock-paper-scissors match had decided that it would be Chazz who would take the first turn. He quickly drew his first five cards, his brain working in overdrive to determine the optimal strategy.

"Draw! I set two cards and summon **X-Head Cannon (1800/1500)** in attack mode!" Chazz's familiar mecha assembled onto the field, its cannons pointed threateningly at Jaden. "My turn's over!" Chazz nearly shouted, his nerves on edge.

"Alright!" Jaden, on the other hand, was relaxed and having a great time. "I'll summon **Elemental Hero Neos Ailus (1900/1600)** in attack mode!" Onto Jaden's field emerged the smaller version of his ace monster from a sphere of stardust. "Now, I'll attack your X-Head Cannon!"

Neos Alius shot forward and smashed Chazz's mech with a power-filled punch. Chazz grunted in acknowledgement and took the damage. **(Jaden 4000/Chazz 3900)**

"I'll set two cards and call it a turn!" Jaden ended, even more confident now that he had drawn first blood. Chazz was unruffled, seemingly prepared for Jaden's move. The crowd was tense and silent like a drawn bowstring as the match continued.

"Draw!" Chazz nodded to himself, having just drawn a card that would unlock a new strategy for him. "I'll play **Frontline Base**! Once per turn, this card allows me to special summon a Union monster from my hand! And I'm sure you know what's coming up next…" Chazz smirked.

Jaden laughed, already aware of Chazz's strategy. "Go, **Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600)**!" The familiar red dragon mech materialized on the field, blue sparks of electricity popping from its slightly open maw. "Next, I'll normal summon **Z-Metal Tank (1500/1300)**!" Joining his growing army was a yellow-painted vehicle with a single ocular lens between twin tank treads. Both machines glowed menacingly at Neos Alius, who was coolly unimpressed.

On the sidelines, Leon was scratching his head. "I wonder if he'll make YZ-Dragon Tank…you don't think he has a way of summoning back X-Head Cannon, do you?" He asked Alexis airily. She smiled knowingly. "He won't stop here." She responded.

Jaden, too, was expecting more. Chazz recognized this, and took relish in beginning his next play. "I activate my face-down **Call of the Haunted** to bring back my X-Head Cannon from the grave in attack mode!" Now, all three of his mechanized monsters were on the field and ready to fuse.

Jaden nodded. "Ah, now that was the play I was expecting."

"Well, we'll see how much you expect this! I'll fuse all three of my monsters together to form my ultimate mecha! Combine and bring forth destruction, **XYZ-Dragon Cannon (2800/2600)**!"

With jolts of blue thunder arcing about, Chazz's three monsters assembled to each other. Y-Dragon Head folded its wings and retracted its tail, fitting neatly on top of Z-Metal Tank. X-Head Cannon rose and fit its bottom spheroid on Y-Dragon Head's midsection, forming a chimera much more intimidating than any of its parts. It towered above both duelists, glowing with thunderous power. Up in the top box, Kaiba grunted appreciatively at one of his ace monsters being used by a member of the new generation.

"Now, I'll use my monster's effect! By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy one of your monsters instantly!" X-Head Cannon's shoulder guns charged with azure energy, as did Y-Dragon Head's mouth and Z-Metal Tank's cannons. Then, after a moment of coalescing energy, the fused machine unleashed a concentrated beam of power directly at Jaden.

Jaden grit his teeth in determination as his monster took the full brunt of Chazz's assault.

"And since the card I discarded was **Ojamagic** , I can add the three Ojama brothers to my hand." With unusually precise efficiency, Chazz leafed through his well-worn cards to find his trusty Ojamas.

"Damn Chazz, back at it again with the lucky draws, I see you!" Jaden said cheekily. Chazz allowed himself a small smile. "I took a page out of your book and drew exactly what I needed."

"By the way, my Dragon Cannon still hasn't attacked this turn."

Jaden's eyes widened in horror as Chazz's ace monster charged up another wave of energy, this time washing Jaden himself in its blue vortex of power. **(Jaden 1200/Chazz 3900)**

"Oh my goodness! It seems that Chazz Princeton has risen to an early lead by summoning the fearsome XYZ-Dragon Cannon! How will the Hero duelist get out of this one!?" Roland, although he was normally a terse individual, felt compelled to add to the game's spectacle by announcing the play-by-play.

Jaden was, to his credit, rather unaffected by the attack, still retaining his damnably blithe grin. _"I guess I shouldn't be surprised…Chazz has been nipping at my heels for the past two years. He's changed a lot since freshman year, but I bet he's more than a little excited at the idea of beating me."_ The Slifer Red thought idly.

He knew that he couldn't afford to spare any quarter in this match. It occurred to Jaden that he hadn't truly fought Chazz using his real deck in the past year; during their clash in the Genex Tournament, Chazz was using a deck supplied to him by Sartorius while Jaden himself was using Chazz's Ojamas as a way of deconditioning him. Still, Jaden had no doubt that would be able to overcome this challenge.

Alexis was rather bemused as she watched the clash of egos unfold. Although the match mattered little to her, she was still entertained by the skill of her two friends. She slightly favored Chazz to win; perhaps then he wouldn't be so moody. She chuckled at the thought.

"Alright, Chazzy boy, let's get down to business. First, I'll play **E-Emergency Call,** letting me add an Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand." Jaden scanned through his motley crew of warriors and selected his favorite. His eyes suddenly narrowed in focus.

"Now, I'll summon **Elemental Hero Stratos (1800/300)**!" A tall warrior wearing blue armor and wielding twin turbines as weapons floated down to the field. The crowd went up in a shock of surprise, as did Leon and Alexis.

"Wait a minute, what the hell? I thought that card was banned!" Alexis gasped, unaware that Jaden managed to sneak a copy of Stratos into his deck.

"It was, but Mokuba told me that Seto put a word in at Industrial Illusions to get Stratos off the banlist. Apparently he had to yell at the poor customer service guy for almost 30 minutes, but at least heroes are more viable now." Leon explained.

"Yeah, for real. I don't get why the card was ever banned in the first place." Alexis commented. "Me neither, but at least it's all fixed now." Leon said with a dry chuckle, turning his attention back to the match.

"Now that Stratos has been summoned, I can add another Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand." Jaden thinned through his deck once more and grabbed another resource. "Next, I'll activate the field spell **Skyscraper!** "

A dramatic rumbling seemed to shake the very foundations of the coliseum as dark brick towers rose from the ground. Soon, they obscured Jaden and Chazz from viewing the rest of the crowd. Looking over his shoulder, Chazz caught one last glimpse of Alexis' Athenian features before the buildings blocked him off completely.

Soon, even the sun itself was hidden from view, Jaden and Chazz's only light coming from the mysterious yellow windows of the skyscrapers. They both appreciated the facsimile of isolation; for a moment, it seemed as though they were all alone.

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you what this particular card does." Jaden said wryly. "No, no need." Chazz assented. XYZ-Dragon Cannon charged up its power in the face of the tall buildings.

"Now, I'll set one card face-down. And now, since I have no othr cards in my hand, I can special summon **Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200)**." Jaden's familiar aquatic hero arrived at the scene in a flurry of water.

"Ah, I see…" Chazz nodded, seeing what Jaden was planning to do. "Alright, now my Stratos will attack XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" As the airborne hero flew towards the mech, it bounced off of the brick walls, its attack points rising to 2800. At the same time, XYZ-Dragon Cannon charged more sparks of energy around its yellow fist until it was fully encased in sapphire power.

Stratos cocked its fist back, and the two titans clashed knuckles, both briefly engaged in a struggle for dominance. Then, in a white explosion of heat, the two monsters burst apart.

"Now that you don't have defense, my Bubbleman will attack directly!" With a blast of water, Chazz found himself getting an impromptu bubble bath. **(Jaden 1200/Chazz 3100)**

"That's it for my turn!" Jaden was feeling confident, since he saw that all Chazz had in his hand were the Ojama brothers. Although he knew of their potential, Chazz would need a lucky draw to make use of them as they are now.

Chazz seemed to recognize this, and his heart quickened as he made his next draw. Luckily for him, it was indeed a good one. "Very well, Jaden. I'll set one monster and one face-down card to end my turn." Although his move was understated, it did send a clear message; this game was still in anyone's hands.

Outside of the small cityscape, the crowd began to grumble, only those in the uppermost seats being able to see what's going on. "I get why Jaden had to play the field spell, but now we can't see anything! This sucks!" Mokuba whined to his older brother. Seto chuckled with a crooked smirk.

"I'll start by summoning **Elemental Hero Blazeman (1200/1800)**!" A hero donning red armor jumped from the rooftops onto the city floor, sputtering flames from its rocket-powered jet boots. "When this monster is summoned, I can add Polymerization to my hand!" Jaden's deck proved to a reliable engine for him in this duel; although Elemental Heroes were not known for their fluidity, Jaden was making them look like a top-tier deck.

"Now, with the Polymerization I just drew, I'll fuse together my Bubbleman and my Blazeman to call forth **Elemental Hero Absolute Zero (2500/2000)**!" Jaden roared.

The glass on the skyscraper windows froze over, and Chazz felt the first icy spikes of fear race up his spine. The warrior in white emerged from a cold mist, its cape flapping in the gale-force winds it produced.

Chazz growled; he had cheered when Alexis used this monster against Weevil and Adrian earlier in the tournament, so to see it used against him now was a bit of a surreal experience, as well as uniquely fearful one.

"I hate to use this card against you, man, but you're the one who told me not to hold back." Jaden reminded. Chazz scoffed, "Like I care which cards you use!"

Jaden closed his eyes and smiled. "Yeah, yeah. Absolute Zero, take out his monster now, please."

The wintry hero outstretched its palm and let forth a rain of sharp icicles which raced towards Chazz's face-down monster so fast they only appeared as gleaming pinpricks. Within moments, Chazz's **Ojama Black (0/1000)** was skewered.

"At least he saved me one turn…" Chazz muttered ruefully. "Now, I'll end." Jaden said.

Chazz drew, and grinned like a man who was blessed by the winds of fortune. "I play **Card of Sanctity** , allowing us both to draw until we have six cards in our hand!" Replenishing their resources, both duelists felt a sense of renewal.

"Now, I'll play **Mystical Space Typhoon** to destroy your field spell!" To the audience's relief, Skyscraper was blown away by a powerful cyclone. When the wind cleared, Alexis saw that Absolute Zero was present on Jaden's field, while Chazz's field was empty save for a face-down card.

"The duel's not over, is it?" she wondered out loud, and the possibility of Jaden winning filled her with a sense of inevitability. Although she loved Jaden dearly, dueling against him was like trying to scale Mt. Everest; a task as alluring as it was seemingly impossible. She still wondered how the brown-haired boy got so good to begin with, considering he had never been to prep school. It was almost as if he had lived a past life of experience with the way he held himself.

"No, it's not. In fact, Chazz is still up in life points, although who knows how long that will last with that monster on Jaden's field." Leon replied.

"Now, I'll set another monster and one more face-down to end my turn." Chazz was walled up, doing his utmost to scrabble any semblance of field presence against the might of Absolute Zero.

Wordlessly, he passed turn again. "I summon **Elemental Hero Wildheart (1500/1600)** in attack mode!" Jaden said. A brown-skinned man wearing traditionally tribal cloths and tattoos leapt onto the field with abestial howl, a slab of iron in the shape of a broadsword strapped to its back with twine.

"Now, I'll attack that monster of yours!" Jaden cried, and Wildheart jumped forward, its sword coming down upon Chazz's monster with heavy weight. When the card reversed open, it was revealed to be **Masked Dragon (1400/1100),** a smaller dragon with red scales and white plating on its body.

"When Masked Dragon is destroyed, I can summon a Dragon with 1500 or less attack points from my deck. I'll choose another Masked Dragon!" Chazz explained as an exact copy of the destroyed monster appeared on the field.

"No biggie, Absolute Zero will take care of him." Jaden calmly thurst out his hand, and the same time, Absolute Zero clenched its fists. In a few seconds, as though shown on time-lapse photography, the dragon was encased in a small glacier. In another instant, the ice was shattered apart.

Regardless, Chazz plowed onwards. "Now I can summon another dragon. This time, I'll choose **Totem Dragon (400/200)**!" A wyrm, strange in all aspects of its appearance, snaked onto the field. Its face was one large mouth with strangely human-like teeth, and its body was a long coil the same color as freshly sanded wood. Its tail rattled unnervingly at Jaden.

"Ah, nice play." Jaden already knew what Chazz had planned for his next move. "I'll end my turn."

Nearly shaking in anticipation, Chazz snapped the next card off the top of his deck. _"This will be the moment of my perfect victory!"_ "Totem Dragon's effect allows it to serve as two sacrifices for a Dragon-type monster. I'll use my faithful servant's power now to bring forth my ultimate creature!"

As he spoke, the sun began to hide behind a cirrus cloud, leaving only half of the star visible. "Come forth, **Light and Darkness Dragon (2800/2400)**!" A pillar of dust grey flames erupted from behind Chazz, and in another instant the bifurcated dragon unfurled its wings and screeched with pride. One half of the audience saw a frightening harbinger of destruction clad in hard black scales, while the other viewed a dragon, that while no less intimidating, possessed a certain regal, angelic quality in its white coloration.

Jaden's eyes widened; facing this new creature of Chazz's up close was entirely different than observing it from the sidelines. "That monster is…amazing…" He murmured. "I can't believe how much you've changed, Chazz."

"I can no longer be the same duelist or man as I once was. I was arrogant, and even worse, I was not free, thanks to those pieces of scum I used to call my brothers. There's been a hole in my heart so long, I thought that such a loveless existence was normal.

"I see now that my former brothers are fools, and I was too, because I did not value moments such as this, battling against you!" It was in that moment that Chazz realized that the money didn't matter, and it wouldn't ever matter because he now enjoyed a wealth of knowledge, friendships, and even love.

"There is darkness within me…and there is also light. I know now that either in excess is dangerous. But if I can find a way to channel both in equal measure…I can create something truly potent." Chazz finished his monologue, and Jaden felt chills of excitement race up and down his arms.

"I gotta say, I hate to be the one to beat you after a speech like that. But hey, I don't mind that much. Come at me!" Jaden responded, flexing his shoulders.

"Fine! Light and Darkness Dragon, attack his Wildheart now!" If this attack went through, Chazz would win the game. However, Jaden was more than ready to intercept the silver beam. "Reverse card, open! **Mirror Force**!" A shield of blazing light protected Jaden's monster for the moment.

"Oh god, not again!" Chazz grumbled. His dragon's effect immediately activated, causing it to lose 500 attack points in exchange for negating Jaden's trap card. "Still, this attack goes through!"

Jaden winced, bracing himself against the force of the dragon's assault. When the dust cleared, he was chuckling nervously. "Hehe, I'm in a pretty tight spot…It's gonna take everything I've got to get out of this!" **(Jaden 300/Chazz 3100)**

"Just a little more…" Chazz's concentration was reaching critical levels as he reached closer to victory. Taking a deep breath, he tried to relax and simply enjoy the game.

Jaden drew quickly, and his eyes glinted with new hope. "Alright, let's try this! I'll attack your weakened Light and Darkness Dragon with my Absolute Zero now!" Jaden knew there was no point in doing anything else; any effect he activated would've been negated by the dragon's power.

Cupping its hands at its side, Absolute Zero gathered frigid energy in the form of a sphere of polar wind. At the same time, the Light and Darkness Dragon valiantly prepared another grey blast of energy from its mouth, although all knew it was a futile effort.

At the same time, the two monsters unleashed their attacks, Absolute Zero's a beam of blue energy and the dragon's a sterling silver in hue. For a moment, the two lasers hung in midair, struggling against each other. However, it was soon enough that Absolute Zero overpowered the Light and Darkness Dragon, ripping apart the lizard's body with arctic gales. **(Jaden 300/Chazz 2900)**

"Not bad, but now my dragon's secondary effect activates! When it is destroyed, I send all other cards on my field to the grave and special summon one monster from my grave!" All Chazz had to give up was one face-down spell on his board.

"I chain **Mystical Space Typhoon** to destroy your face-down card!" Jaden inexplicably said. "Why the hell would he do that?" Chazz, although he was usually able to see the reasoning behind Jaden's moves, was utterly confused on this one. The audience agreed with him- why would Jaden destroy a card that was about to be sent to the grave anyhow?

Jaden smiled- he loved how entertained everyone was watching him. "Now, as Chain Link 3, I can specially summon a new monster of mine from my hand!"

Again, Alexis gasped in recognition. She had objected against Jaden placing this particular card in his deck- she felt it wasn't useful enough to justify being mixed in an Elemental Hero engine. However, Jaden had insisted with a nostalgic glint in his eye.

"Yugi…this one's for you!" Jaden wasn't sure if the King of Games himself was in attendance- Yugi was already a rather enigmatic figure, and this was a regular annual tourney.

Unbeknownst to everyone in the coliseum, Yugi Moto happened to be in town that day and was watching the match. He stood in the very top row, where he observed all while none saw him. He wore a plain black sweatshirt with a hood that miraculously managed to obscure his multicolored spiky hair.

On a whim, he had decided to watch the finals. When he entered through the backdoor, the security guards nearly tripped over themselves upon recognizing him. All he had to do was say he was here on business, and they let him through with no issue. Now, he silently watched, in staunch support of the boy he saw a glimmer of potential in two years ago.

"This monster can only be summoned as Chain Link 3 or above- meet **Winged Kuriboh LV 9 (?/?)**!" In a radiant tower of light appeared a creature that initially appeared to be no different than Winged Kuriboh in appearance. However, that soon changed as pieces of red armor attached to its furry puffball body. Its wings grew several feet in diameter, as did its claws, making the normally cute monster into something with a bit more edge.

The crowd was rather confused about the monster's attack and defense values, some of the kids theorizing about the card's ability. For Chazz, a wave of bad memories rose, unbidden, to the forefront of his mind.

Suddenly, he was wearing a tightly buttoned Obelisk Blue coat once more. His surroundings melted and shifted, and soon he was standing not in the Sliver Dragon's Coliseum, but in the testing center at Duel Academy. That accursed Winged Kuriboh LV 10, the monster that had sent him on his downward spiral, a fall that culminated to him being stranded in the arctic for nearly a month. The memory of losing to Jaden still made him sour.

And yet…he had grown stronger for it. "Bring it. Tell me the card's effect." Was all he said.

"Gladly. My new monster gains 500 attack and defense points for each spell card in your graveyard, and I now count five! That means my boy's got 2500 points! And from now on, all of your spells are banished instead of being sent to the graveyard." Jaden explained as his new monster charged up a fierce red aura.

Chazz growled- he had nothing in his grave that could defend against the Winged Kuriboh. All he could hope for was to minimize the amount of damage he was about to take. "I'll summon X-Head Cannon from the grave." He muttered, his faithful blue mech appearing at his side one more time.

"Winged Kuriboh, attack with transcendent wings!" Jaden shouted, his monster destroying X-Head Cannon with a red explosive wave. Chazz flinched as residual power from the attack struck him. **(Jaden 300/Chazz 2200)**

The side of the crowd on Jaden's side erupted in cheers at their hero's comeback. "I can still do this!" Jaden thought to psyche himself up. "My move's over!"

Unsteadily, Chazz drew, and he was lucky enough to be able to hang on one more turn. "I set one card and one monster face-down and end my turn." He hoped that things weren't about to spiral out of his control.

Jaden drew, his mouth curling upwards. "I hate to say it, but this one might be over sooner than I thought. I activate **H-Heated Heart**! I hate to be the one to tell you this, but this card equips to an Elemental Hero, increasing its attack points by 500 and giving the ability to inflict piercing damage!"

Absolute Zero's name became rather incongruous as it began to glow with heat energy. The hero howled in pain, seemingly hating the feeling of warmth that now surrounded it. However, its power did increase up to 3000 points, despite the clash of cold and hot.

"I hope that monster of yours has some defense! Absolute Zero, attack now!" The agonized hero leapt forward in a meteoric burst of contrasting energy, unleashing a blast of stem from its fists. Chazz's face-down monster was **Ojama Green (0/1000)** , a cyclopean gremlin that formed one-third of Chazz's iconic trio. It howled in pain as it was destroyed, and Chazz felt a pang of guilt for putting his monster in such bad position.

However, there was no time to brood on the matter, as he was about to take a devastating blow from Jaden's monster. A column of mist slammed into him with deceptive force, and he was nearly knocked off of his feet. **(Jaden 300/ Chazz 200)**

"Damn it!" the black-haired boy cursed as his advantage disappeared like sushi in the Slifer Red cafeteria during lunch hour. "Reverse card open! **The Grave of Enkindling**! When a monster of mine is destroyed, each of us summon one level 3 or lower monster from our graveyards in defense position. And as long as that monster is on the field, its position cannot be changed." He explained frantically.

"You're a cheeky lad, Chazz. I don't have any monsters that qualify to be summoned, letting you get a summon for free." Jaden bared his teeth, acknowledging Chazz's strategy despite his impatience.

"Exactly. I think I'll bring back Masked Dragon!" Chazz called back his searcher dragon, which coiled into defense position at his side. "Winged Kuriboh, get him outta here!" Jaden waved dismissively, his leveled up-Kuriboh sweeping aside the masked dragon with Chuck Norris levels of ease.

"Since my dragon was destroyed again, I can summon another dragon from my deck. Come forth, **Armed Dragon LV 3 (1200/900)**!" A small lizard with orange and grey scales flapped its meager wings, although a hidden menace lurked in its fierce eyes.

"One face down and I'll end my turn, bro." Jaden said, raw intensity lurking barely beneath the surface of his nonchalant words. As he spoke, the effects of H-Heated Heart ebbed, and Absolute Zero cooled off, returning to its original strength.

Chazz drew with a sense of weight. "During my standby phase, my Armed Dragon evolves to level 5." He said in a strangely calm monotone. His dragon grew by nearly three feet, its scales darkening to a threatening crimson. Spikes elongated all over its back, and the lizard grew a rather silly beer belly. **(Armed Dragon LV 5 (2400/1700))**

"And now, Jaden, it's time to end everything…this battle…" He slowly raised a card from his hand into the air, "and every battle that has come before! I cast the spell **Level Up**!"

His Armed Dragon underwent another evolution, its skin hardening even more until it was the same consistency of a freshly sharpened blade. It grew even taller, now nearing sixteen feet in height. " **Armed Dragon LV 7 (2800/1000)** … I'm sure you're familiar with this card, Jaden." As Chazz spoke, he was forcibly reminded of his fight with Jaden at the School Duel during the winter of their freshman year. How different he was back then…it nearly made him sick remembering the way he had so willingly acquiesced to the demands of his brothers for the sake of power.

This time, however, the power was completely his and his alone. "It's a shame you don't have any life points left to lose, Jaden…I almost want to prolong this…"

"You're always talking, Chazz. You should attack right now, before I perform another one of my trademark miracles." Jaden responded with a knowing smile.

"Fine! Armed Dragon, attack his Absolute Zero with serrated sonic slice!" Chazz huffed, his titanic monster launching towards Jaden's hero with the force of a freight train. Jaden nearly laughed. "I activate **Hero Barrier**! When an Elemental Hero is attacked, I can activate this card to stop it!" A shield of purple electromagnetic waves forced the Armed Dragon back, its claws leaving deep cuts on the arid ground.

 _"Damn, why didn't I attack the Winged Kuriboh?!"_ Chazz inwardly berated himself, perhaps unfairly. It was a mistake he couldn't have truly foreseen, but his high standards for himself and his play commanded him to be critical. _"If this costs me the duel, I'm gonna be pissed."_

Jaden began his next move. "I'll set one monster and switch both my Absolute Zero and Winged Kuriboh LV 9 to defense mode." Playing defensively was Jaden's best option- when his Absolute Zero was destroyed, all of Chazz's attacking forces would be sent to an early grave as well.

On the sidelines, Alexis tensed as the turn passed seemingly without incident. She knew that this was the calm before the storm- each duelist was one misplay away from defeat.

Chazz took his final draw, knowing that there was only one way he could possibly win now. He had his dragon and one face-down- and that was all he needed. "My ultimate dragon is here. By sacrificing my Armed Dragon LV 7, I can call on its final evolution- the culmination of all my efforts. I summon **Armed Dragon LV 10 (3000/2000)!"**

The Armed Dragon's scales were coated in silver, making the entire monster look like a sleek, polished weapon of destruction. "Are you ready to finish this?" Chazz asked one last time. "Hit me with your best shot!" Jaden responded.

"As you wish! By discarding one card from my hand, Armed Dragon LV 10's effect lets me destroy every single monster on your side of the field in one slice!" As he spoke, the dragon formed a straight horizontal line of green-tinged wind energy, sharp and fast enough to cut through single molecules.

With a chainsaw whine, the wind blade swiftly bisected all three of Jaden's monsters, the Slifer Red's face-down revealed to be Neo-Spacian Dark Panther.

"Well, you had to spring my hero's effect eventually, but now that it's destroyed, all of your monsters will now enter a permanent ice age!" Jaden shouted, confident that his final contingency would result in his victory. This was how it always went; Chazz would arrive within a hair's breadth of victory only for Jaden to swiftly establish his superiority once more.

"No, Jaden. I'm afraid it won't." Chazz said softly as he opened up his last trap card. "My **Debunk** trap card allows me to negate a monster effect and banish that monster."

Jaden's smile evaporated for a moment, but quickly returned. "Wow…hehe. I was really banking on that." "Armed Dragon, attack him directly!" The sliver dragon raised its claws one last time, and brought them down like an executioner. With a final glint of light, the 13th annual KC Grand Championship came to an end. **(Jaden 0/Chazz 200)**

A moment of silence passed before the audience gave one last deafening round of applause for the combatants who had brought them such entertainment over the course of the games.

Alexis and Leon gave their respectful cheers as well, Alexis more surprised than anything else. Seeing Chazz beat Jaden was similar to seeing a Unicorn, or the Minnesota Timberwolves winning a championship title- it just didn't happen.

Chazz himself didn't seem to believe it- he and Jaden just stood unblinkingly like deer caught in the proverbial headlights. Both were stunned by the outcome of the match in their own way.

"Shoot…man, that bites." Jaden, for a moment, seemed truly dejected, almost brought down to earth. He walked over to Chazz, slapping him on the shoulder. "Damn, man, that was an awesome match! I think that's one of the best games we've ever played." He said congenially.

Chazz stared forward, a genuine, almost _innocent_ smile creeping to his lips. "I can't believe it…I never imagined how it would feel to actually make it this far. Ever since we first met, all I wanted to was to defeat you…it dominated my every thought, and even when I was at my lowest, all I could ever focus on was how much I hated you." He began to speak, letting his tightly suppressed feelings bubble to the surface. Jaden said nothing, letting his friend say what he needed to say.

"Jaden…thanks for being so patient with me. You've helped me grow a lot over these past two years. I'm honored that you can call me a friend." Chazz said in a rare moment of humility. With the heavy weight of pride lifted from his soul, Chazz felt an exhilarating sense of freedom, wondering how he had ever lifted such a weight for so long.

Jaden nodded, and the two compatriots shared a look of wisdom and understanding. "You've always been a good duelist, Chazz, but it's good to see you become a better man as well. Being angry and vengeful all the time- it's not good for you. In this duel, I think we've both elevated ourselves to new levels." The Slifer Red said slowly. "And I can't wait to ascend even further in our next duel!"

"Of course." Chazz responded, and he and Jaden shared a handshake. Before they could say anything else to each other, however, Roland stepped forward, a check in one hand and two medals in the other.

"Chazz Princeton," He announced portentously, "I announce you the champion of the 13th annual KC Grand Championship!" HE handed Chazz the check, as well as a medal made of real gold- Chazz couldn't imagine how much it must have cost Kaiba to forge such a large amulet out of pure gold.

Still, he cared for more about the check. Sure enough, it was one million yen signed to his name, courtesy of Seto Kaiba himself. With this, he could finally afford to stand on his own two feet, without the aid of his begrudging brothers. He would call them first thing tomorrow with the news, and with luck, that would be the last time he would ever interact with them.

"Thank you." Chazz raised his fist in the air, knowing that this was one of the greatest moments of his life thus far.

Up in the top box, Seto and Mokuba were discussing the match. "I see…it appears that Chazz is the one with the stronger will." Mokuba postulated.

"It would seem so, but I think those two have a bit of a rivalry. I'm sure this isn't the final chapter of their book…isn't that right, Yugi?" Seto said, knowing that the King of Games was standing right behind him.

"Kaiba…you've trained the next generation well." Yugi lowered his hood, letting his spiky hair out. He had grown much taller in adulthood, and his voice was deep and confident much like the pharaoh who used to inhabit his body. These were the first words he had shared with Kaiba in nearly four years.

"I'm surprised you came out, Yugi. I thought your blood no longer boiled for dueling the same way it once did." Kaiba surmised with a shrug, downing the rest of his drink. Mokuba remained silent, awaiting his mentor's response.

"I suppose it does, a little." Yugi smirked. "Perhaps later, when the coliseum is empty, we can have our rematch for old time's sake."

Kaiba's blue eyes widened in surprise. "I thought you were too jaded to get any enjoyment out of a hobby as juvenile as dueling. I thought you just traveled the world and drank expensive wine now." He said teasingly.

"Oh, I most certainly do. Still, I suppose I should keep my skills sharp, in case a young buck like that Jaden kid comes to steal my title." Yugi chuckled.

"Feeling threatened, are we? I don't blame you; they are _my_ students after all." Kaiba said, an both of them enjoyed a companionable laugh, happy to see the dueling world was being left in good hands.

As the crowd slowly filtered out of the coliseum, the duelists waited around the lobby for a while; traffic would be highly congested for the next thirty minutes or so. Jim and Haruto hung around for a while, offering their congratulations to Jaden and Chazz for their highly impressive performances. Chazz greeted them with a smile; battling his demons throughout the tournament made a new man out of him.

Alexis nearly threw him off his feet when he returned to the sidelines, and he was more than happy to accept her accolades. All too soon, however, it was time to leave. Crowler picked up the Central Duel Academy students in his low rider, seeming rather pleased that Chazz had brought such good publicity to the school.

Jim and Haruto exchanged phone numbers with the trio. "I think we'll be seeing each other real soon." The aussie said, winking his good eye at them cryptically.

Only an hour later, the sea breeze blew in their faces as they drove by the coast, Crowler aggressively weaving through traffic while Jaden and Alexis napped in the backseat. Chazz's tired eyes lazily fixated on boats, surfers, and rowers on the water, too exhausted to sleep.

Crowler looked over at the black-haired boy, his expression inscrutable with his sunglasses on. "You've changed, my boy." Was all he said, turning down the radio to speak.

Chazz looked over at his rather clownish teacher. "It sure seems that way. I'm not quite sure what that means yet, though."

"I know. It all seems to happen so fast. The days are so long and tiring, but before you know it your school days are over and it's time to enter the real world. You're not the same child anymore, and I don't mean that in any insulting way, Chazz." Crowler said, his expression unchanging.

"I feel better now…" Chazz said slowly.

"Of course- you have your own identity now. The uncertainty and ever-shifting nature of childhood does not suit everyone, especially someone like you." Crowler said, strangely wise.

"Adventure always seems like such a wonderful thing, becoming something new…how I lived before was untenable, but it was also comfortable." Chazz murmured, hardly believing that he was being so forthright.

"Not everyone can be great because most people value those comforts over their potential greatness. Believe me, there is much greater risk playing it safe than taking that leap. Did you know I once dreamed of becoming a musician?" Crowler confided, looking back to make sure that Jaden and Alexis were asleep. Sure enough, they were both snoring loudly, although Alexis would certainly deny that fact.

Chazz nodded- although he had no idea Crowler had ever wanted to be a musician, it was consistent with many aspects of the professor's character- his David Bowie-esque makeup, his guitar-like duel disk, and his love for romantic poetry. It wasn't hard to imagine Crowler on stage belting out the lyrics to "Starman".

"Obviously, I never did achieve that dream. When I was in college, dueling was reaching its peak of popularity as the Battle City tournament was happening. I ended up pursuing a doctorate in business with a minor in dueling. It's been a fulfilling experience, but I still sometimes wonder what would have happened had I not been so passive…" Crowler shared.

Chazz silently nodded once more, acknowledging the weight of the moment. "There is something strange about dueling- it tends to blur the lines between dreams and reality. I'll walk in that twilight and experience the best of both." HE said after a long silence.

"You'll succeed no matter what you do- all of you will. I know I might be harsh at times, but I just want to see you all do your best in life." Crowler said, a little choked up.

Chazz smiled. "You're a good teacher, Crowler. And if you ever need some people to help save the world again, we'll be ready."

"Of course you will." Crowler nodded as the city faded from sight in the rearview mirror.

They departed at the same coffee shop they each left for the tournament at, and as expected, the place hadn't changed at all in the past three days, unlike the duelists.

Jaden gave Alexis a quick hug and Chazz a fist bump. "You're both awesome! I'll see you in the fall for third year. Hopefully this time we can go a while semester without some creeps trying to destroy the world this time." He said with a half-chuckle.

"Somehow, I doubt it. This time though, we'll be ready." Alexis said with a confident nod. "Right. Get ready for our next match, Jaden. I'd hate to whoop you in front of the whole school." Chazz smirked facetiously.

"I'd say the same thing." Jaden, as otherworldly as ever, departed in his parent's car into the summer street.

Chazz and Alexis looked after him until his car disappeared from sight. Then, they drank in each other's beauty, glad to be alone at last. "You feel like a coffee?" She asked, her eyes smoldering.

"Sure, but I'm paying this time." Chazz teased playfully, looping an arm around her body as they entered the coffee house's swinging doors, a smooth flute beat playing inside. Reveling in his freedom and happiness, Chazz finally achieved his ultimate goal; contentment.

 _"Maybe growing up isn't so bad then, if this is what it's like."_ He thought as the summer breeze fluttered through his hair. Any moment, he expected to wake up, but the cruel sound of the alarm clock never came. This dream would not end for the reborn Chazz Princeton, free from the shackles of anger and the author of his own story. That story is of a gradual renewal of a man, of his regeneration, of the passing from one phase of life into the next, of initiation into a strange new world.

And when that next life began, Chazz would draw the next card from his deck.

 **A/N**

 **Greetings, lovely readers, and thank you for reading Coliseum!**

 **Yes, this is the end of the story. I never thought this tale would end up being too long, and it didn't need to be. There's no need to create a 500,000+ word epic that never gets finished with this sort of thing anyhow. Mainly, I wanted to create a universe where the character of Chazz Princeton/Jun Manjoume got to achieve his dreams and become a better man for it while tying together disparate aspects of the greater Yugioh canon. That has happened, and I hope you all enjoyed the journey. There were some things I wished to include (I initially planned to tie in Yubel and Zane to the plot) that I ended up cutting out in order to craft a more singular, novella-style fanfic.**

 **This story is indeed canon-compliant- there is nothing here that outright contradicts seasons 3 and 4 of GX, since Chazz and Alexis are irrelevant there anyways. As you can imagine, I would've handled the latter half of the series differently, although Jaden's character development is amazing. Still, GX is long finished, and I enjoy the series for what it is. Arc-V is turning out awesome as well. As far as my writing goes, I may branch out from GX for a while- I have ideas for DBZ, Naruto, Star Wars, and Bleach fics that I plan to address sometime in the next year.**

 **If the story made an impact on you, please a review telling me your thoughts. I enjoy honest dialogue with fellow readers and writers- we are a special and powerful breed.**

 **Thanks again for reading and have a blessed day.**


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